The Summer of Our Discontent
by poeticgrace
Summary: A summer apart proves to be a time of change for two former lovers. Can Nathan and Peyton find a way to put the past behind them and start again?
1. Chapter 1

It was just after eight in the morning on a sticky August morning when Nathan Scott returned to Tree Hill. A short walk back to his dorm, a longer wait for a cab, the taxi to the airport, a short jaunt back to Charlotte, another short wait for a cab and a ride home had brought him back to where everything somehow still made sense. It had taken him nearly a year and many modes of transportation to make it to where he stood. Staring up at the house where he had spent countless hours, he finally felt that familiar sense of coming home. A few hours ago, he was sleeping on a too-narrow bed in a dingy dorm back in Florida, surrounded by people who understood his passion for the game but could never understand him as a person. Now, he was standing in the one place where someone might be able to help him figure all of this out.

It had been a long summer at the basketball camp, one full of relentless drills and endless practices and mind-numbing strategy meetings. He had honed his skills and managed to rehabilitate his knee stronger than he had actually been before his injury. For a few short weeks, he had managed to block out anything but basketball, refusing to think about his father or his wife. Haley had faithfully sent him a letter every week, all of which were still unopened in the bottom of his duffel bag. Buried beneath sweaty gym shorts and his favorite basketball were the words his wife thought might save their marriage. However, in Nathan's mind, their marriage ended the day she left Tree Hill on that tour bus with another man and reached the point of no return when he came back home without her shortly thereafter.

And now, he was standing in front of a two-story house he had frequented almost as much as his own at this time last year. He tried to work up the courage to knock on the front door of her house but decided against it. She had never kept her front door locked. He quietly let himself into the house and headed up the staircase toward her bedroom. He noticed her halfway up the staircase, hunched on the top step. Silky blonde hair covered the slender girl's face. Her shoulders shook, making it evident that she was sobbing silently Although they had parted ways many months ago, there was something unnatural about letting a woman cry. No one else knew that he was home, but he had needed her to know.

"Peyt," Nathan said softly as he kneeled beside her. He tenderly pushed the hair back from her face as she turned and gaped up at him with a look of dismay in her clear green eyes. Wiping away the tears with the back of her hand, her face slowly lip up with her signature sly smile.

"Nate!" she squealed excitedly, throwing her arms around him. The eagerness of her embrace nearly knocked him off his feet. "What are you doing here? No one told me you were coming home."

Nathan smiled at her genuinely as he settled onto the step next to her. "No one else knows," he admitted. "They offered to let me spend the rest of August down there or to come home with about twenty minutes of advanced warning. I took advantage of both and took the first flight I could get home."

Peyton could hardly imagine why Nathan would want to come back to Tree Hill early after everything that had gone down at the end of the last school year. The late days of spring had been especially cruel to both of them. They had shared in their losses of the people that they loved. As hard as it had been when Jake left, she knew it had been harder for Nathan to see Haley leave him to pursue her dream. In the short time they had been married, his wife had almost become his only dream. Once Haley left, Nathan had been determined to push her out of his mind and focus on first true love, his first dream – basketball.

"Your mom is going to be thrilled," she said softly. "I'm sure you want to go over there and see her. You probably want to see everyone, especially Luke and Brooke. I heard Haley was home, but I haven't especially gone out of my way to see her."

"Haley's home?" he asked in shock. If he had read any of his letters, he probably would have known that by now. Shaking his head, he once again convinced himself that he didn't care. The past was the past. Haley had signed the annulment papers when Lucas had gone to visit her, and their marriage was officially over in the eyes of the law. It wasn't his fault if Haley hadn't accepted that yet. "I guess I've been gone a long time."

"It's okay, Nate, you can go see them," she assured him, despite the fact she felt safe for the first time in months when he slung his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. "Maybe you should go see her. I'm sure she would be thrilled to see you."

He smiled down at the blonde next to him. "I'm not ready to go home, to have everyone know that I'm here. That's not why I came home," he confessed. He had always been able to tell Peyton things that no one else could ever understand. "It's weird, part of me is thrilled to be back in Tree Hill. Another part of me knows that everyone is going to expect me to be the same person I was before I left for High Flyers. I'm not."

"I understand," Peyton replied, and Nathan knew that somehow she did.

"Can I stay here?" he asked, immediately realizing that he could be putting her in an awkward position given her relationships with the other people in their lives. But when she didn't make a sarcastic remark as usual, he knew that maybe he wasn't the only one who had changed.

She reached down and patted his hand affectionately. "Of course, Nate," she answered. "My dad is still out to sea. He'll be gone for a few weeks, so I could really use the company. It's been a long and lonely summer. I don't really feel like being alone anymore."

"You're never alone, Peyt," he promised as he helped her to her feet and pulled her toward her bedroom. "You have me. No matter what, I'm here."

Peyton offered him a wide smile as she tucked his bags into her closet. "I need to run a quick errand. What do you say to your first little foray into Tree Hill? You can put on sunglasses and a hat, do the whole incognito thing."

He laughed at her as she handed the keys over to her prized black convertible. She hadn't let him drive it since that night he had the hit-and-run accident back when they were still together. That had truly been the beginning of the end, and he wanted to go back in time and shake that kid for not knowing what he was giving up. "I'm sure you've missed driving. I know that my car isn't your badass truck or anything, but I'll let you drive it anyhow."

"Thanks, Peyt," he grinned impishly as he twirled the key ring over his index finger and followed her down the staircase.

"Sure," she said as they came into the warm morning sun. Peyton reached for the silver door handle, not expecting Nathan to open the door for her because he never had before. And the old Nathan wouldn't have brushed her hand away and insisted upon being a gentlemen and helping her into the passenger seat. With a surprised smile, she slipped into the car and waited for the tall brunette to join her behind the wheel.

A few minutes later, they were on their way to the magazine office so that Peyton could drop off her latest set of sketches. Nathan still remembered when her first strip was published and the embarrassment he felt when she revealed a small intimate detail about their life together. He had been angry at the time. He had thought it had been at her but now he realized he was mad at himself for treating her that way. Nathan couldn't help but smile at himself. He really had changed this summer.

It was a short drive across the small town, and Nathan had missed every street corner and storefront. As it passed by in a blur in front of him, he tried to take it all in. About two blocks from the office, he paused a stop sign and snuck a glance at his companion. The simple white tank top hugged her every curve perfectly, glowing radiantly against her suntanned, flawless skin. She was staring straight ahead, frosted lips purse and blonde curls wild around her hooded eyes. She was beautiful.

Nathan smiled secretly to himself again, trying to push those familiar urges out of his mind. Thoughts like that could not lead him anywhere good, especially when it came to someone he actually cared about. He had long ago accepted that although their relationship had not worked out, she was still a beautiful girl and a great friend. She had managed to forgive the arrogant player he had been and openly welcomed the determined man he had become. She was really the only one who had been able to fully do that.

After dropping off her sketches at the _Thud_ office, Nathan made the short return trip back to her house. "Nate, I'm really glad you're home," she announced softly as he pulled in front of her house. As he turned of the motor, neither of them made a move to get out of the car. "It's been so hard lately. When Jake and I broke up, I didn't know what to do with myself. And then when you left and Brooke went to California, I didn't have anyone. I fell apart. Now I don't feel like I have anyone."

"What about Brooke? She's your best friend."

"She's busy with Lucas," Peyton answered. "And the two of them are always with Haley now, and I can't be around her after what she did…" Her voice trailed off as she realized that her response had the potential to hurt Nathan. The last thing she wanted was anyone to feel as sad as she did. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I am the one who ended our marriage," he reminded her. "She was friends with Luke before the two of us could stand each other. I knew that their friendship wouldn't end just because our marriage did. I expected her to move on."

Peyton immediately called his bluff. "No you didn't. You never expect anyone to move on when you break up with them," she told him knowingly. "Like with you, last year, I thought that breaking up with you would make you realize how much you actually did love me, how much you wanted to be the guy that I needed even if you wouldn't admit it. Instead, you went and fell for Haley. It wasn't what I expected, but I guess it's what had to happen."

Nathan leaned forward and tugged playfully on one of her blonde curls. "I saw it, Peyt, I just thought that it was too late," he revealed before averting his gaze back at the house. He ordinarily would have expected anger or hatred in her voice when talking about their past and making such a comment, but Peyton had seemed resigned and calm. It was as if the whole experience of losing Nathan and then Jake had left her numb, and she was looking for anything that would make her feel again. He understood that emotion, losing the only two girls he had loved in the span of a year had done that to him as well. "I did fall in love with Haley last year, probably more than I realized if I'm really honest with myself. It's just that it got to the point where enough was enough. I couldn't see her in my life anymore, not with everything that was going on. Our relationship didn't fit the people we had become by last May."

"Come on, let's not tell our sad stories," Peyton implored. "Let's just go upstairs, and you can tell me all about High Flyers. I'm sure you have some stories that need to be told." She jumped out of the car, waiting for him to follow her inside. He couldn't believe that they were back here, with Peyton escorting him willingly back into her life.

Peyton had redone her bedroom over the summer, something he hadn't noticed earlier. The walls were mostly bare except for a few new sketches. He recognized himself in one of them. It was her drawn snapshot of the day they had cleaned out his apartment. That had been a good day. Her trusty record collection still took up much of the room. Peyton dropped her keys on the desk and collapsed on her bed. Smiling expectantly at Nathan, she motioned for him to sit with her.

"Thanks again for letting me stay, Peyton."

"You're welcome," she murmured as she laid back. Nathan fell back next to her, resuming their usual positions as they had for all those months they had shared a bed. His hands folded behind his head as he stared at the ceiling, her turned slightly toward him propped up on her elbow. "So, tell me about the basketball thing, Nate. What was it like to be amidst the nation's greatest talents? I want to hear everything."

And for the next hour, she did. Nathan told her about the players he had met, how they had actually heard of him even before he showed up. He had gotten on with many of the coaches and had even managed to make a few key connections with college scouts. He told her about working on his knee and the exhilaration he felt when he had ran his first mile in months without any pain. The last thing he had done before he had come back was see if he could lift weights at the same level he had been last year. When he had let the machine fall back to rest, he had smiled triumphantly as he etched a pair of letters into the cold metal. He would never forget the satisfaction that poured through him as he left everything that had happened last year behind.

"Wow," Peyton gasped in amazement when he finished. Her feet were now bare, her battered sneakers long kicked off next to the bed. They rested easily beneath Nathan's legs for warmth, something she had always done when they were together. She had retrieved a knitted afghan from the foot of the bed and pulled it around them. They hadn't been that close in a very long time, and neither was really sure how that made them feel. "I really admire that you went after this, Nate. To have the courage to let go and leave everything behind for a dream, I know it took a lot. I've never done anything like that in my entire life."

"You will, Peyton," he promised her. "Like Luke said, you're destined for greatness. You'll find your own way to make your dreams come true. Whether that means starting your own label or pursuing your art, you can do anything. That's one thing I've never doubted. You have the strength to survive anything."

She grinned as she thought about the way that Nathan saw her. "You have no idea how much that means, especially coming from you," she retorted. "It's funny how your dreams change, you know? I used to think that I knew what would make me happy, but now, I kind of like not knowing. It means that I might just get to find myself when I go to college. I want to find the unexpected."

"You can do that, too," he said with a yawn.

"Are you tired."

Nathan nodded as he turned over to face her. "I've been up all night. It was a bumpy flight, and I barely slept on the plane. I was just anxious and nervous, I guess."

"I can leave and let you sleep," she offered. "I'm sure you could use a quick nap."

"That sounds like a good idea, but I don't want to kick you out. I just don't think I'll get much sleep if you're here next to me. I know how much you like to talk, Sawyer."

She rolled her eyes and jabbed him gently in the ribs. "It'll give me a chance to run to the market and pick up a few things. Any requests?"

"You know what I've really missed? The turkey club sandwich from Karen's."

"I'll pick up a couple on my way back from the store. I think I remember some of the other things you like. I should be back by the time you wake up.

"Sounds good," he muttered sleepily as Peyton grabbed her keys and headed for the door. Just before she disappeared out of sight, he turned back and looked at her. "Thanks again, Peyt."

She nodded silently and smiled before disappearing down the stairs. Alone in her bedroom, he finally kicked off his own scuffed tennis shoes and looked around the room. The walls had been painted a sunny yellow, much different from the angry black and bold red hues that had come before it. A row of framed photographs lined the window sill. Nathan leaned over and inspected the colored snapshots of their past. Their little group of friends was all in those pictures, different combinations captured in each chrome frame.

There was Brooke and Peyton at Tric, smiling at the camera before one of the shows last year. Another snapshot portrayed Mouth, Skills, Lucas and Nathan taking a break to pose for a photo during a basketball game at the Rivercourt. The next was of Lucas, Peyton, Haley and Nathan after a game. Peyton was standing between Luke and Nate, with Haley flanking Nathan's other side. He had never realized before but he was standing closer to his ex-girlfriend in that picture than his wife. And Peyton was standing closer to him.

Sighing, he sank back into the bed and pulled the plush down comforter around his tired body and settled against the thick mattress. He didn't remember a time in the last year when he had felt that good, that relaxed. Sleep quickly overtook him, and the last thing he could remember thinking was that her sheets smelled like vanilla and lavender.

When he woke up again, the sun had dropped lower in the sky, and the air was filled with the distinct aroma of rosemary chicken. Yawning and stretching, Nathan slowly crept out of Peyton's room and headed down to the kitchen. She was bent over the stove, stirring a pot with one hand and singing along with the acoustic rock song coming from the radio on the counter. She didn't know he was there yet as she dropped the spoon on the counter and spun around in an intricate dance move. Her body moved easily to the beat as she ran her hands over her hips until she faced him fully. Nathan broke out in laughter as she realized she had been caught.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he insisted through his laughter.

She turned a deep shade of scarlet for a second before erupting into her own fit of giggles. "It's okay, I'm sure it was funny," she managed.

Once they were finally calmed down again, Nathan looked around the kitchen to admire her work. She had set the table with a white sheet for a table cloth and two tall white taper candles. Two goblets filled with a purple bubbly liquid sat on either side with platters of sautéed potatoes, rosemary chicken, steamed vegetables and wheat rolls. Peyton turned off the burner and poured the contents of the pan over her final dish. Drizzling the chocolate glaze expertly over her cheesecake, she seemed satisfied with what she had done.

"Peyt, this smells amazing," Nathan mused as he took in everything she had done for him.

"I'm glad you like it," she said softly. "I know you wanted that sandwich, and there is a couple in the fridge. I just wanted to make your first night home special. Besides, I love cooking, and I don't really get the chance to do it that often."

"You do? I didn't know that."

"There's a lot you didn't know about me," she reminded him seriously. "Please sit down before it gets cold." She tried to usher him over to the table, but he insisted on pulling out her chair for her. She smiled politely at him as he sat down across from her. Leaning over the food, Nathan gazed at Peyton and struggled to find the right words, but before he could, she found them for him. "I know, Nate, you don't have to say it. This is just as much for me as it is for you."


	2. Chapter 2

It was a long and leisurely meal, one where Nathan dominated most of the conversation with stories of his summer in Florida. "That was amazing," he complimented Peyton after finishing the last bite of cheesecake. He dabbed the corner of his mouth with the crumpled paper towel in his lap as Peyton offered him a bright smile. He couldn't believe that he could still make her blush, a rare and uncharacteristic reaction for the blonde.

"Thanks, I'm really glad that you liked it," she replied as she pushed back her chair. Quickly, she worked to clear the table of the dishes, discarding them noisily into the sink. Nathan carried the leftovers over to the refrigerator. The whole routine seemed familiar, as though it was something that they did every night.

Peyton had her back turned to him while she rinsed the plates efficiently. With her head bent over the sink, her golden hair was luminous beneath the overhead chandelier. Nathan had the sudden urge to creep up behind her and bury his nose in her hair. He had never been able to forget the amazing scent of her shiny ringlets. Even when he had been hopelessly in love with Haley, he had never been able to deny his chemistry with Peyton. Tonight, with her hair a mess and her clothes stained by their dinner's preparation, she had never seemed more irresistible to him.

As if she could read my mind, Peyton dropped a fork in the sink, the sound echoing throughout the empty house. She looked down at her hands and closed her eyes, the muscles in her back immediately tensing. Slowly, she turned to gaze at him, her seafoam eyes studying him intently. "I knew you were looking at me," she murmured simply.

Nathan nodded. "I was," he acknowledged. The moment became too intense for either of them, so Nathan scanned his brain for something – anything – to say. "What do you want to do now?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "We could watch a movie, maybe have a beer."

"You never wanted to drink with me," Nathan replied incredulously. He had spent many Saturday nights when they were together convincing her to have a hit from the keg, but she had only relented when they were fighting. With a coy grin, Peyton offered him a pair of unopened bottles of beer, following him into the room with a corkscrew. Expertly, Nathan flipped off the caps and tossed them on the coffee table on top of an old issue of _Spin _magazine. Peyton balanced the two glasses in her small hands while Nathan worked the remote.

Peyton tried ignore the nervousness coursing through her veins, hoping that he didn't see her bite her bottom lip as though she was trying to find the right thing to say. "To finding our way," she toasted, clinking her bottle to his. Nathan repeated her toast before tapping his bottle against hers.

"So, what's on?" Nathan asked as she snuggled in closer to him. He enjoyed the warmth of her body next to his. After a summer away from Tree Hill and months of watching his marriage fall apart, it had been far too long since he had felt a woman's heat next to him. Her skin was so soft as her arm grazed his while she nabbed the remote from his still hands. Turning on the television, she flipped through the channels until finally settling on a black and white film from the 50s.

"Sabrina," she explained as she dropped the remote back on the table. Leaning her head on my shoulder, she smiled dreamily as Audrey Hepburn worked her magic in a Parisian kitchen on the screen.

A half hour later, they were both lost in the movie. Well, Peyton was lost in the movie, and he was lost in watching her become lost in it. They'd both had two more bottles of beer, a significant amount of alcohol in a very short time for her. "This movie is so good," she told him without moving her eyes from the screen. He didn't answer, just let her watch Humphrey Bogart dance with his brother's love on a tennis court. "Oh, I have to pee," she squealed, rocking giddily from side to side.

"So go!"

"I don't want to miss anything," she giggled. "Okay, I can't wait." Peyton tried to scramble to her feet, but the alcohol had had a bigger impact than she anticipated. They both laughed as she immediately fell backward, landing right in his lap. "Sorry about that."

"It's okay. Can you make it on your own?"

"I'll be fine," she reassured him as she stood up and tried to collect herself. She managed to gather her bearings before jogging hurriedly to the bathroom. A few minutes later, she collapsed on the couch next to me once again.

By the time the credits rolled, Peyton was crying unashamedly next to me. She never cried, she hated it. However, there was something about this movie that always got to her. It had been one of her mother's favorites. Nathan turned to wipe the tears away with his thumb when her hand caught his. He cradled her innocent face in his palm as she rested against him. As soon as their eyes met, Nathan knew what was coming. In one breath, they were gazing at each other in wonder, and the next moment her mouth was his for the taking. After a few seconds, they both pulled back and looked at each other. Before he could say anything or try to explain the situation away, she was already reaching for him again. As their lips came crashing together again, Nathan managed to maneuver her lithe body into his lap. Her legs wrapped around his sturdy truck as he struggled to pull her as close to him as humanly possible.

"We shouldn't be doing this," Peyton managed to say between kisses. Nathan moaned in acknowledgement against her lips, well aware that she was right but not caring. Between the romantic movie, the wine and her intoxicating beauty, he couldn't stop himself.

"We should stop," he muttered as she rested her forehead against his. Her nimble fingers quickly unfastened the row of buttons on his shirt. Leaning in for another kiss, he shrugged it off without breaking the connection. As Nathan tugged on the hem of her shirt, she willingly discarded the only thing standing between his skin touching hers.

"Not here," she implored as he started to unzip her faded jeans. Nathan nodded knowingly and gathered her in his arms. She once again wrapped her legs around his waist as he stood up and allowed him to carry her up the stairs into her bedroom. Lighting a single tea light next to her bed, she lay back on the mattress and waited for Nathan to join her. He smiled as he kneeled over her, carefully laying a gentle kiss on her slightly parted lips.

Nathan's fingers tangled through her unruly hair, pulling the ponytail loose until her tresses cascaded over her bare shoulder. He kissed her left shoulder and then the right as he leaned over her body. This time, she allowed him to pull off her jeans, throwing them to the side along with his own. A few clothing items later, they were naked and entangled in each other. Each kiss was more desperate than the other, filled with yearning and and sadness and regret and anticipation for what was to come.

"Are you sure?" Nathan managed breathily as she rolled on top of him, their hips bumping as they struggled to find our rhythm. Peyton nodded silently just as they came together as one.

Awhile later, Peyton rolled off Nathan's sweaty body, her face glowing. Her blonde hair covered his chest as she cuddled next to him, a sheet covering their entwined bodies. It had seemed to last for hours or minutes, he wasn't sure of which. He just knew that it was amazing, and that it had been far too long since he had felt this satisfied. In his drunken haze, Nathan knew that he would have a hangover, but much past that, he had no grasp on the future. Within seconds, Peyton's breath had evened as she gave into sleep, her chest rising and falling steadily. Just as he followed her into the darkness, he could feel the constant beat of her heart against his.

As it turned out, Nathan was right about the hangover. The next morning greeted him with a pounding headache, blurry vision and sore muscles. He could barely remember anything after sitting down to watch the movie with Peyton, but as he shifted in what he at first thought was his bed, he quickly realized that it was her bed. And the weight against his body signaled that he was not alone in the bed. Opening his eyes slightly, he peered down to see her still sleeping. Reaching down beneath the sheet, he realized that they were both without clothes. His eyes fell shut as he began to mentally berate himself for letting this happen. It wasn't that he didn't want Peyton. He just didn't want her like this, in an alcohol-induced stupor that left them with regrets in the morning rather than happy memories.

"Ohhhhh," Peyton groaned as she stretched. Groggily, she sat up and flipped her hair over her head. She looked down at her companion in shock, her jaw literally dropping. "What did we do?"

"Drank a lot of beer," he laughed humorlessly. "I don't remember much else."

"I can't believe this," she mumbled, dropping her head in her hands.

"Peyt, I'm sorry," he apologized, cupping her shoulder in his hand.

"So you regret it?"

"Don't you?"

She looked down at her hands in her lap and then up at me. "I feel like I should," she replied. "I mean, this should be one of the worse things I have ever done. You're not over Haley. There is a lot still unresolved between Luke and me. I don't know how I feel about Jake. It could really hurt some people that we both care about. I feel like I should regret it…but I don't."

"I don't either," he told her honestly. He didn't regret it. As the details started to come back to him, he remembered how amazing last night had been. Besides the sexual chemistry that had always been there between them, they had found a deeper connection that they had never known before.

"I'm glad you said that. I don't know that I could have taken hearing that you thought this was a mistake," she retorted. "We will always have this amazing memory of last night. Thank you for that."

"That's all this is?"

She nodded. "It has to be. I can't be your rebound girl, Nate. Our friendship is too important. Besides, like I said, there are other people involved. Luke is your brother. Haley is supposedly my friend. Even if we're all supposed to have moved on, I know that it would only hurt everyone if they knew we slept together," she said. "When you see Haley again, the two of you could realize how much you still love each other. It's just too much of a risk."

"For who, Peyt? A risk for you?"

"For both of us," she answered, trying to not meet his questioning eyes. She knew that all her strength would melt away if she looked into those blue eyes of his. "I can't risk getting hurt any more than I can risk hurting someone. It's just too much, Nate."

"But I don't love her," he blurted out.

"Yes, you do. You'll see, with one look at her, you'll want to be with her again."

Nathan didn't understand why Peyton was trying to talk him into going back to Haley, a woman that she clearly didn't like right now, but then he realized that it was probably that she was hoping Jake would come back for her. She was right. If she loved him, this wouldn't work. "Well, then, you're welcome. I should really get going. I need to go tell my mom that I'm here."

"I'll walk you out," she offered, pulling a tattered white robe tightly around her. Nathan quickly dressed and followed her down to the living room. She leaned against the door and stared at me. He wanted to beg her to reconsider, but Nathan knew that he couldn't try to make another woman love him. He had tried to hang on to Haley for too long. Whatever was between Peyton and him had to end today. Lunging forward, he kissed her anxiously one last time, cementing her every move, sound and scent in his brain.

Finally, Peyton broke the kiss and opened the door. Her hand still grasped his as he walked onto the porch. A sad smile played across her lips as he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it gently. "I guess I'll see you around," she offered before shutting the door. He flatted his palm against the door, praying that she would open the door and come running after him. Two minutes later, he was still outside alone, causing him to drop pathetically on the top step. Whispering to himself, he let go of just another great thing that had almost happened to him. "Goodbye, Peyt."


	3. Chapter 3

The next few weeks flew by in a blur, and soon, it started to feel as though Nathan had never left Tree Hill for the summer. With his senior year just around the corner, Nathan took advantage of those last waning warm days to train and play pick-up games with some of his teammates that were around town. Deb was ecstatic to have her only child home again and was doing surprisingly well after her own time away from the scrutiny of the people in their lives. Nathan had only seen his father a handful of times, but it had actually gone better than he had expected. Dan was proud of the work his son had done at High Flyers and was fairly content to let him control his own life for once. The two of them had come to an unspoken understanding and were able to tolerate each other when necessary.

One of the first things Nathan had done after spending time with his mother was seek out Lucas to apologize for the hateful things he had said before leaving for Florida. Whether he liked it or not sometimes, the lanky blonde was his only sibling. Nathan was proud that Luke was his brother. After a long talk that made both of them fairly uncomfortable, they had started to hang out again, watching basketball games and wasting what hours they had that weren't spent practicing or with the girls in their lives. While basketball had been everything to Nathan before going to Florida, he knew that he needed more in his life than the sport. It was kind of like his old partying habit. When he did stop by a few of the beach bonfires, he usually chose to abstain. He just didn't need alcohol as a clutch as much as he once had.

He had run into Haley about three days after he had come home when he was on his way to meet Peyton at the record store. They had spoken only briefly, a conversation that Nathan ended by saying that he just didn't want to be around her right now. He knew that Haley had cried later, and as much as he didn't want to, he still cared that she was in pain. It made him feel weak and oblivious in some ways but strong and determined in others. She had left him long before he had left her, and it was time that he rebuild his life without the guilt of Haley hanging over his head.

Someone that he had been happy to see was a suntanned Brooke, fresh off her extended summer in California visiting her parents. Peyton, Nathan, Brooke and Lucas had spent more than a few nights together at Karen's café, sometimes including Haley when Nathan was feeling especially kind. He looked forward to spending time with his friends, including Mouth, Rachel, Skills and Bevin, to hear all the crazy stories of their antics over the summer. His favorite were the tales that Brooke told about her various hook-ups in California because it reminded him of old times. It wasn't the tawdry details that got his attention; rather, he lived for the feeling he got when he listened to her talk in a way that reminded him of how things had been before there was a Haley, before a Luke – when it was just Peyton, Nathan, Brooke and Tim ruling the school. Sometimes he couldn't help but miss those times, even if he had been an ass. He'd had everything, and now, it often felt like he had nothing.

Needless to say, though, I hadn't been alone with Peyton since that morning. She stayed away from my house unless she knew there was going to be a crowd there, hanging out with Brooke or holing herself up at home. She always came up with some excuse as to why she couldn't see him whenever he would call, and when Nathan knew that she was going to be somewhere he could spend time alone with her, he actually had come to respect what she obvious wanted. At first he had pretended that it would just be awkward, but really, it would just be too hard to be that close to her and not have her. For something that had only been reignited for twenty-four hours, he was still feeling its impact days later. But that was all about to change as his loaded truck headed toward Tric.

Luke sat beside Nathan in the passenger seat, his eyes scanning the blurring streetlights outside while Brooke hummed happily to herself behind Nathan. Peyton sat silently next to her best friend, refusing to meet Nathan's probing blue eyes as he sought her gaze out in the rearview mirror. "I can't wait to see this band tonight," Lucas announced with his signature sly smile. "I've heard they're amazing."

"I know, I haven't even eaten anything all day," Brooke complained. "When P. Sawyer told me that she was going to pay for all my drinks and appetizers, I knew I had to save room for all those empty calories I am going to consume tonight!"

"Peyton's paying?" Luke joked. "Score!"

"It's my welcome present to Brooke," Peyton retorted softly without looking up.

"And Nathan, too," Lucas pointed out. He had noticed the strain between the curly blonde and his brother many times before tonight, but it was especially palpable tonight. Peyton was doing everything she could to avoid looking at or talking to Nathan, and the dark brunette didn't seem to mind at all that she was ignoring him.

"Oh, yeah, sure."

_Ouch_, Nathan thought to himself. It was clear that the last thing Peyton wanted to do was welcome him home again, especially after the first go around. "Thanks, Peyt," he mumbled. She didn't say anything but finally allowed her eyes to meet his in the mirror. Nathan watched her cross her arms protectively over her body and turn to stare out the window.

By the time Nathan had turned the truck into the parking, the tension in the car was too much for him to take. However, Lucas was staying silent and Brooke didn't seem to notice. Peyton leapt out of the vehicle as soon as the truck was parked, walking quickly ahead to catch up to where Mouth was waiting with the rest of Rachel, Skills, Bevin and Haley. Nathan noticed when Peyton threw a dirty look at his former wife, but she remained uncharacteristically quiet as everyone around them hummed with conversation.

"Come on, guys," Mouth announced as the group crowded into the bustling nightclub. He led them toward the back of the club and into a dimly lit private pair of booths. It was a nice place, and Nathan was reminded how proud he was of his mother and Karen for all their hard work. He was also proud of Peyton for all the acts she had managed to score.

Skills and Bevin were the first to slide into a booth with Rachel and Mouth taking up the rest of the room in their booth. Brooke quickly piled into a booth, pulling Lucas in after her. Haley looked uncomfortably at Nathan before sliding in next to her best friend. Peyton looked up at Nathan nervously as she crawled in to sit next to Brooke, leaving him to sit down next to her.

"I still cannot get over how great this place is doing, P. Sawyer," Brooke complimented her. "You've really brought the scene to Tree Hill. Luke and Karen told me all about the acts you got over the summer. I'm very proud, Best Friend."

"Thanks, B. Davis," Peyton smiled at her friend distractedly, trying to ignore the goose bumps working their way up her entire left side from the mere proximity of sitting next to Nathan. "Karen and Deb have something really special here. It's not just me."

"Well, thanks for inviting us all out tonight," Haley replied.

Peyton's eyes darted across the table to the tutor. "Oh, I'm not paying for you."

"Well, thanks for being a bitch then," Haley muttered under her breath. Lucas looked at her pointedly before nudging her leg under the table.

Nathan looked at Haley with anger in his eyes. "Haley, don't," he warned her automatically.

"Why are you sticking up for her?" Haley asked without thinking. If she had taken time to think about it, she would have seen what was staring her right in the face. "She's your ex-girlfriend. I'm you're _ex-wife_. Doesn't that entitle me to some loyalty or something? You're supposed to be over her. Are you over me too already?"

"I just want tonight to be nice," Nathan lied. The last thing he wanted to do was cause a scene and put his friends and Peyton in the middle of it. They had been through enough of it when it came to Nathan and Haley's marriage.

Peyton was tense next to him, staring at her glass and pretending to be interested in its intricate pattern. Brooke looked over at Nathan and then at her best friend. "Come on, P. Sawyer," she declared. "I need to go to the bathroom."

The blonde smiled gratefully at her friend as they disappeared toward the bathroom. Lucas turned to Haley. "Come on, lay off her," he implored his best friend. "This isn't easy on any of us. You know how she feels about all of this. Give her a break."

"When are you going to stick up for me, Luke?" she asked with a perfectly arched eyebrow. "I'm supposed to be your best friend. Can't you be on my side in this?"

"There are no sides, Hales," Lucas frowned. "You started this, not the other way around."

"I thought you were my best friend."

"I am," he pledged, grabbing her hand for emphasis, "but Nathan's my brother. We're his friends too. You can't keep putting us in the middle."

By the time Peyton and Brooke had returned, Haley had agreed to try to be civil at least for tonight. Lucas had promised to pay for her for the evening if she could just manage to leave Peyton alone. Tonight was already hard enough, and Lucas knew that his brother couldn't handle the blatant hostility flying from both ends of the table. For the most part, Haley managed to pull it off, and the night actually turned out to be okay. Then, Mouth had come over to ask Peyton to dance, leading her off to the lit floor. She maintained her space from him but seemed to be enjoying herself. Lucas and Brooke followed suit with Skills and Bevin in toe. Rachel had wandered off to hit on some much older guy at the bar, leaving Haley and Nathan alone at the table to watch their friends.

"You've got something on your mind," Haley mused as Nathan watched Peyton's hips swivel along to the hip hop beat. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he answered with a curt nod. Things had been over between them for awhile, and Nathan decided in that moment that he couldn't hold onto the anger anymore. Just then, Luke came over and pulled his best friend off to dance, while a breathless Brooke collapsed into the booth next to him.

"You okay?"

"I really am," he smiled as he looked at the pretty brunette. "Things with Haley are over. I don't know if we'll ever be friend after everything, but I wish her good things. We had something really good once, and I hope she finds it again. She deserves to be happy."

"Yeah, Peyton does, too," she replied, her eyes darting as she jumped to her feet. Nathan followed her gaze to where she was staring. Peyton was on the floor, hunched over and clutching her stomach.

Haley was standing behind Lucas with Mouth between them. "Give her some space," he ordered the mass of people starting to huddle around her.

Brooke stalked over and looked at Haley. "What did you do?"

"I just bumped into her," she answered shakily. "It was an accident."

"Brooke, I need to get to the hospital," Peyton managed through the tears streaming down her pale face. Her arms were wrapped around her body. "Please."

"I barely touched her," Haley whimpered. "She can't be hurt."

Peyton's eyes lit up with raging fire. "You might have hurt the baby!" she screamed. All color drained from her face a moment later. She hunched over again, her blonde curls falling over her frightened green eyes.

Nathan rushed over to where she was, knowing instantly why she had kept her distance all these weeks. Kneeling beside her, he gathered Peyton in his arms and carried her toward the door. "Luke, come on, I need you to drive!"

"We'll follow you," Haley said as she started to follow them out of the club.

"Stay away from her!" Nathan yelled over his shoulder. "I don't want you anywhere near Peyton or my baby."

"Your baby?" the group shouted in unison, the last thing Nathan heard before he laid Peyton on the backseat of his truck, clutching her hand as the adrenaline carried them both through the motions. It hadn't sunk in yet, and until he knew that they were both going to be fine, Nathan wouldn't let it.


	4. Chapter 4

"Luke, slow down!" Peyton squealed from the backseat. Nathan glanced down at her to make sure that everything was okay. She was still laying on her back, her hands holding her stomach and her head in his lap. Her hooded green eyes winced in pain at every bump, but she tried to hold her composure. He could tell that she was scared, not sure what was going on or how to handle it.

"Peyt, Luke's going to get us there. It will be okay," he reassured her as soothingly as he could manage. She bit her bottom lips, their eyes meeting. "Just a few more minutes and we'll be at the hospital. Just try to hang in there, I'm right here with you."

"Talk to me, Nate. I'm really scared," she admitted softly. "Tell me about the last time you were truly happy. Tell me about something good."

Nathan wanted to tell her that the last time he could remember being happy was the morning after they slept together, just before everything had fallen apart, but he knew that would do little to ease her stress. Instead, he settled on a safe memory. "When I was in Florida, I used to go out and sit on the beach after a long day of practice and just watch the sun as it faded away. The sky would turn the most brilliant shades of indigo and pink; it was absolutely breathtaking. It reminded me of all the sunsets you and I used to watch – or at least pretend to watch – at the beach house. It was kind of comforting to know that even if everything has changed, some things are still there. We're still living under the same sun."

"That's pretty deep of you, Nate," she replied as Luke pulled up next to the emergency room at Tree Hill General. The motor was still running as Lucas pulled the door open to help Nathan and Peyton out of the backseat. Mouth pulled up just behind them with Brooke and the others in his car.

Nathan didn't have time to pay attention to them. "Park the car and meet us inside," he told his brother as he motioned for Brooke. "We'll take her in."

Peyton flinched as Nathan guided her through the busy emergency room. People rushed all around them as she clutched his hand tightly. "How are you feeling?"

"It hurts," she cried, tears welling her eyes. She carefully arranged herself in a chair while Nathan went to the window to find out how to get her in. The nurse behind the glass promised that she would return in just a minute with a wheelchair. A moment later, she followed Nathan over to where Brooke was trying to comfort her best friend. "Ms. Sawyer, I am going to take you back now."

"We'll be right here waiting," Brooke promised as she kissed the top of her friend's head.

"Nate, come with me."

Nathan nodded, thankful that she wanted him there because he couldn't imagine letting her go through this alone. "I'm with you, Peyt," he promised, just as he had that night when they had slept together. She held onto his hand tightly as the nurse pushed her down a sterile hallway and let them into one of the few private rooms in the ER.

The nurse promised that a doctor would be in with them very soon to do an ultrasound. "Have you already been tested?" she asked, making notations on a clipboard.

"Three days ago," Peyton informed the nurse. "Dr. Glaser is my obstetrician." Nathan watched the older woman scrawl something else on the chart before leaving them alone. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Nate." Tears were streaming down her face now, the fear only outshone by the guilt of her secret. "I was just waiting for the right time."

"You don't need to worry about that right now," he promised. "We can talk about that later. Right now, we just need to focus on the baby and making sure that you and it are okay."

"I didn't do this on purpose," she sobbed. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen. At first, I just wanted the baby to go away. But when I started thinking about how this may be the only chance I get to have a piece of you, I wanted to keep it. I should have never thought about our baby like that, Nate. I love this baby, and now I may lose it."

Nathan leaned down and wrapped his arms around her. "Look at me," he demanded firmly. Her wavering eyes met his. "We are not going to lose this baby. We will figure this all out, I promise."

She nodded reluctantly as a doctor came into the room with a perfunctory knock. "Hello, Ms. Sawyer, I am Dr. Heller," the young man greeted them. "Let's just do a little exam and see what we have going on. Would you like him to step out for a moment?"

"No, I want him here."

"That's fine," the doctor agreed. "I just need you to lay back and relax, Peyton. Why don't you come up here and hold her hand to help her soothe her nerves."

Nathan shifted awkwardly before sitting on the appointed stool by Peyton's side. He held her delicate hand in his as he started to tell her more about the Florida sunset while the doctor went on with the examination. His distraction kept her calm, and after a few minutes, the doctor interrupted them to ask a series of questions. He asked if she felt pain each time he pressed on a different part of her abdomen. Each time elicited a negative response from Peyton. "Well, I think that everything looks pretty good here," he told them. "I'd like to do an ultrasound to make sure, but I'm fairly certain that everything is going to be just fine."

"Thank God," Peyton breathed, letting a deep gust of air escape from her lungs.

Nathan rubbed her knuckles affectionately and smiled at her, pushing a light wisp of hair from her forehead. "See, I told you."

She grinned before looking back at the doctor. "What do you think brought this on?"

"Most likely, your cramps were caused by stress. Peyton, this is your body's way of telling you that you need to slow down and take time to relax," he ordered. "Now, I'm going to roll this across your abdomen. It's going to be a little cold."

"You heard what he said, didn't you? Stress is not good for the baby," Nathan teased her lightly. Peyton nodded in response, her hand once again clutching his tightly. "Oh, wow."

Peyton's eyes darted to the screen where a tiny motion showed them the first image of their baby. There in black and white was their child. Its heartbeat chugged rapidly, reminding Nathan of a film strip from elementary school about a baby bird.

"Just as I thought, everything looks good here," Dr. Heller retorted, making notations on Peyton's chart. Holding the controls in his fist, he quickly snapped a picture and sent it to the printer. "I'm going to prescribe some prenatal vitamins and recommend that you take it easy. And congratulations to you both on your child!"

"Thanks," Nathan mumbled, folding the prescription in half and shoving it in his back pocket. Peyton slowly sat up and readjusted her clothing. Once everything was in order, she leaned weakly against Nathan's body as they made our way back to the waiting room. Occupying a row of plastic chairs, their friends rushed forward to meet them when they finally came through the heavy metal door.

"Is everything okay?" Brooke asked instantly, a step ahead of the crowd.

Nathan started to say something, but Peyton grabbed his wrist. "Everything is fine. I just have to take it easy," she answered. "Look, I know you all have a lot of questions, and I promise that I will answer them in time. But right now, I just want to go home and sleep. I can't handle much else today."

Haley looked at Nathan, her gaze full of hurt and anger. "I'll take you two home," Lucas offered. Peyton nodded helplessly as Brooke moved to her other side to help them outside.

Looking over at her best friend, Peyton started to apologize. "I'm sorry, Brooke. I promise that I am going to explain everything," she whispered. Nathan started to follow when Haley pulled on his shirt sleeve. Peyton took notice and shook her head sadly. I just ignored Haley because now just wasn't the time to dive into this.

Once they were inside the car, Lucas and Brooke in the front seat and Peyton reclining against Nathan in the back, Luke navigated the truck toward Peyton's house. Nathan hadn't been there since that morning, and it felt like everything was coming full circle as they made their way up the familiar shady street. "Brooke, is there anything you want to ask? What about you, Luke?"

Lucas looked at his brother in the rearview mirror. "I will do anything for you two, you know that," he promised. "I'm going to be an uncle."

Brooke turned slightly in the seat and looked at Nathan. "I just want to know how you could do this to her. She's not just some rebound girl."

"I am just as much a part of this as he is, Brooke," Peyton pointed out. "Don't be mad at Nathan. I am the one that pushed him away and refused to see him. I got scared and made up some line about wanting to protect our friendships. I really was just protecting myself."

"I should have fought harder," Nathan countered softly. "Peyt, I didn't want to let it go, and I certaintly didn't want that night to be the end of it. It ws what you said you wanted, so I thought I should respect that. I should have pushed a little more."

"You should be furious at me, Nate."

"I'm not," he reassured her. "I could never be mad at the woman carrying our child."

"They're going to be angry," she mused sadly, thinking of Haley and Jake. She knew that this had the potential to hurt both of them, and as much as they both liked to pretend that they didn't care, she knew that both Nathan and herself were worried about how it would affect them. There was still some kind of love there, even if it wasn't the same as it was three months ago.

"You're not alone in this, Peyton," he reminded her.

"No, you're not," Brooke chimed in. "Peyton, you are going to be a mother, and Nathan is going to be a father. It might not be easy for everyone to accept, but this isn't about them. It's not about Jake or Haley or Dan or anyone else who is going to want to have some say in this. This is about what is best for your child and your family."

Peyton smiled genuinely at her best friend, slightly taken aback at how cool, calm and mature Brooke was. "You're going to be there for me?" she asked Brooke. "Do I have your blessing?"

Brooke giggled. "Like you even have to ask, P. Sawyer," she declared as Lucas pulled the truck in front of Peyton's door. "We'll give you two a minute. Nate, you think you can get her inside on your own?"

"Yeah," he answered shortly. Luke threw his brother a look and Brooke waved before pulling him toward Peyton's front door. The two of them had grown up a lot in the time that they'd been apart, and although some of that snarky Brooke and broody Lucase were still there, they possessed a supportive maturity that surpassed all Peyton's expectations. As they disappeared into the house, Nathan turned and looked up at the exhausted blonde leaning heavily against him. "Let's talk about this, I mean, if you're ready to." Peyton nodded hesitantly. "Tell me everything."

"I figured out that I was late last week. I waited a few days, hoping that I was wrong but pretty much knowing that I wasn't," she began. "Finally, I decided to take one of those home tests. It came up positive, so I made an appointment with my gynecologist. Dr. Glaser confirmed it three days ago."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner? I would have gone with you."

"I was scared, Nate," she sighed. "I mean, you're Nathan Scott. We were a disaster together, and I didn't want to make you feel obligated. I didn't even know if I wanted to keep the baby. I wasn't sure how I felt about it, and until I knew what I wanted, I didn't want to burden you with my problems."

"Our problems," he corrected her. "This is our problem. And it's not a problem unless you think of it that way, Peyt. I couldn't have planned for this, but I will do the right thing. I am going to help you raise our child if that's what you want to do. I want to be in our baby's life, even if I just did fight out about it."

"But we can't do this," she cried, pointing to her stomach. "It's not in your plan."

"You can't plan everything in life and sometimes, the biggest blessings come from the hardest or most unexpected things," he reasoned. The truth was, he knew that this had the potential to wreck everything he had dreamt of since he was a little kid, but maybe that was the way it was supposed to be. Maybe this was supposed to be his new dream. "I think our baby has the potential to be all that."

"Nate, are you prepared to lose everything?" she questioned him. She had to give him an escape clause. She wouldn't be an obligation to anyone. "Because you know if we go through with this, there is no going back. You could lose Haley forever, and I'm not sure what I am going to tell Jake."

He took her hand in his and brushed his thumb over her palm. "I lost Haley a long time ago, and I have to say, I'm glad that it ended when it did. She started to move on with Chris when she was gone, and that seemed to be what she wanted. And as for Jake, he's the one that left you. He doesn't really have the right to say anything about this, and if he can't support you, he never really loved you the way you deserved in the first place. You two have been over for as long as Haley and me. We didn't do anything wrong when we slept together. I think the real question is if you are over him."

"I loved Jake almost more than I have ever loved anyone," she replied. She couldn't say that she had never loved him as much as she had loved Nathan. They weren't ready for that yet. "I would have done anything to be with him, to make our relationship work. But that part of me died the day that he decided he could walk away from Tree Hill without me. I knew that I couldn't really forgive him for that, and it didn't make me as sad as it probably should. It was a relief to know that I was finally off the hook with that instantaneous family. I knew it wasn't my family. Anyways, Nate, I could have never slept with you if that part of my heart was still there."

"So, we're going to do this?"

"We're going to do this."

"I guess there is only one more question left then…"

"What's that?"

"Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer, will you marry me?"


	5. Chapter 5

"Uh, no."

Nathan looked at Peyton, not exactly sure what to say next. She rolled her eyes and pushed past him to get out of the car, suddenly feeling stifled within the close confines of his truck. Standing on the sidewalk, she rested her fist on her hip and stared back at him incredulously. "I can't believe you would ask me that, Nate! Are you insane? We can't get married. The ink on your annulment paper is barely even dry. You don't even love me!"

_Okay, not exactly the truth, but now really isn't the time for that,_ he decided. "Peyt, my dad made a lot of mistakes when he was my age and in a very similar situation," he told her. "I always told myself that I would do the right thing, to take responsibility for my actions. I just want to take care of you and your child."

"With your dad's money?" she asked pointedly. "You don't even have a job. You're still in high school. You're not of legal age, so I know that you don't have access to your trust fund yet."

"I have money saved up, I would find a way to make it work," he avowed confidently. He was determined to be the father that he never had – that neither of them really ever had. He wanted their child to have both their parents for them rather than the fragmented families he and Peyton had had to build on their own. "I'm sure I could talk to my mom. She set up a college fund for me a long time ago. I'll probably get a scholarship, so we won't need that. We can use that."

Peyton covered her face in frustration, knowing that Nathan wasn't going to give up but also that he just didn't get it yet. "Nate, I have money. I'm not exactly poor," she remarked hotly. The last thing she needed was him to feel like she was another obligation. She had already told him that. "My dad set up something for me awhile ago when he started spending so much time out of town. I've barely had to touch it with the money I've made at Tric. I have enough to take care of myself for awhile."

"I can get a job," he insisted. "If I have to, if it comes to it, I can quit basketball. The year hasn't even begun yet. I'm sure Whitey would understand. We can both just go to school and work part time until you can't manage anymore. I'll do whatever it takes to give our child the best life possible. I have to do this."

The desperation in his voice unnerved Peyton. The old Nathan had been so cool that he would have never let her see him come unraveled. However, this wasn't the beginning of their junior year, and they weren't just talking about some basketball game. "Calm down," she retorted softly, reaching her hand through the window to grasp his. "You can't quit basketball. My living expenses are pretty low, and you still life with your parents. We'll just save every penny and put it toward the baby. You have to play to pay for college. You have to set a good example for your son or daughter."

"So I guess a honeymoon in Jamaica is out of the question?"

"For now," Peyton giggled.

"I just have one more question to ask."

"Oh, God," she breathed heavily.

"Not that," he muttered. "I'd like it if you came with me to tell my parents. I'm sure that my mom will manage to pull off being supportive, but you know Dan…"

"I hadn't even thought about Dan," she grimaced before crossing her free hand over her stomach. The last thing she wanted to do was let Nathan's dominating father get a hold of her child. She silently prayed that they were going to have a little girl that he couldn't groom into Tree Hill's next star player. "Maybe we could tell them when we tell my dad. He's supposed to be in town tomorrow."

"Funny, Dan was the second thing that came into my mind when you said you were pregnant."

"What was the first?"

"Well, I was a little concerned about what you would look like fat."

"Nate!"

"I'm just teasing," he assured her as he slid out of the truck and slammed the door shut behind him. "I was actually just worried about how you were doing since you had just fallen. I was so scared, Peyt. I quickly realized how close I was to losing something that I didn't even know I had, something that I never would have thought that I wanted."

"But you do want this?"

Nathan nodded at her silently as he reached up to tuck a stray curl behind her ear. A small smile played across her lips as she peered up at him with those big green eyes. He could drown in her gaze. "More than anything."

"Oh, Nathan!" she cried despite herself before throwing her arms around him excitedly. She wasn't the kind of girl that would typically react to anything like this, but pregnancy had already taken its toll on her emotions. "You have no idea how scared I was to tell you all of this. I didn't know you would take it. I was afraid that you would blame me somehow or hate me for ruining your life. I knew that I wanted this baby, but I'm not sure what I would have done if you didn't."

He smirked at her in that boyishly cocky way that he had about him. "You don't have to worry about that," he promised. "Now, we really should get you inside. The doctor said that you needed to rest. You could probably use a nap or something."

"Will you stay with me, Nate?" she asked in a small voice as they navigated the front staircase. Nathan looked down at her. She seemed so tiny and innocent, a far cry from the tough Peyton she liked to portray to the world. He couldn't believe that he was staring down at Peyton Sawyer and thinking of her as the mother of his child, the woman he was going to build a real family with.

"Of course I'll stay, Baby," he assured her, using their pet name from when they had been together. It slipped out naturally and elicited just the slightest sparkle in her tired stare. "I'm here as long as you'll have me around."

Lucas nodded silently as Nathan and Peyton came into the living room. Peyton quietly walked over to where Brooke was hunched on the sofa, carefully avoiding the discarded heels she'd kicked off next to her feet. Hugging her best friend tightly, Nathan watched as the two exchanged a few words. He couldn't hear what they said, but he knew that it must have been meaningful by the way they looked at each other.

Venturing over to his brother, Lucas slung his arm around Nathan's shoulders. He smiled warmly at the two girls. "I'm holding you responsible for her now, Nate. For a long time, it was me that she counted on to save her, but I can't save her from this. I'm not sure she even wants to be saved this time," he said. "You better take care of her and this baby or I will kick your ass." He thought for a moment and changed his mind. "Brooke will kick your ass."

"I promise I will take care of her," Nathan stated honestly, looking straight into his older brother's eyes to let him know that he meant it. "In fact, I'm going to start right now by putting her to bed. It's been a long day, and Mommy Dearest needs her sleep."

Peyton moaned as she pulled herself off the couch. "Oh, great, I'm going to be teased relentlessly for the next eight months."

"It's only because we love you," Brooke laughed.

"I'm going to go up and change. You guys should just go home. I'm done for the night," she told Lucas and Brooke. "I promise I'll call you tomorrow, B. Davis."

"You better," Brooke chided as the two exchanged hugs. Lucas reached over and kissed the blonde's head absently before pulling Brooke out after him. Nathan watched as the two disappeared out into the night. They had been circling each other since Brooke got back from California, and he supposed it was only a matter of time before they were officially back together.

"I'll call you when I'm done."

Nathan nodded as she headed up the staircase. Pacing the cozy living room, he inspected the framed photographs that decorated the small space. Most of the snapshots were either of her family or of Peyton with Brooke. He tried to imagine what the photographs would look like after their child was born. He hoped that the baby got her hair. That had always been his favorite thing about her. It was a perfect metaphor for her as a person – untamable and beautiful with a mind of its own.

A few minutes later, Peyton yelled into the hallway that she was dressed. Climbing the stairs, Nathan stopped short in her doorway and watched her as she combed her hair o her bed. "Hey, you."

"Hi," she retorted.

"You look pretty."

"Oh, yeah, so glamorous in my sweats," she said sarcastically, gesturing to her bright blue sweatpants and white fitted tee.

"You always look beautiful." Their eyes locked for a moment before she looked away. Peyton mumbled in gratitude as she yanked off her socks and pulled back the blanket. Nathan watched her stretch, touching her toes for a moment before crawling into bed. Her wild blonde curls framed her face as she settled in for a fitful sleep. He walked over and pulled the covers up to her chin, brushing another stray hair from her forehead before lightly kissing it. "Sleep well."

"You're leaving?"

Nathan shook his head. "I know you need to sleep. I'll just go down and watch the game downstairs or something. I don't want to keep you up."

"Lay down with me."

"I don't know if that's such a good idea."

"Please, Nate," she began before her cell phone rang from her nightstand. She bit her bottom lip before answering it. "Hey, Brooke."

"It's not Brooke."

Peyton's face fell as she looked at Nathan. She covered the receiver so that she could tell him the true identity of the caller. "Nate, Haley is on the phone."

"What does she want?"

"I don't know," she shook her head, clearly confused about a lot of things. "What am I supposed to say to her? How do I explain this?"

"Let me talk to her," he offered. "You don't have to explain this to anyone, especially her. We can talk to everyone else about it at one time."

"We can tell everyone together, that's fine," she decided. "But if I didn't do anything wrong, I don't have anything to hide. I'm going to tell Haley at least that much."

"Do you want me to give you a minute?"

She shrugged. "You can hear whatever I have to say to her." Peyton removed her hand from the speaker and took a deep breath for some much-needed courage. "Haley."

Peyton held up the phone so that Nathan could lean over and hear what was being said on the other end by his former wife. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just tired," Peyton answered bluntly. "Look, we're actually getting ready for bed."

"We?" The stunning disbelief was apparent in Haley's voice. "I just need to know if the baby is really Nathan's. I just need to know if it's my husband's child." She just sounded so sad. "I have to know if it's true. If it's not, Brooke and Luke will help you, Peyton. Nathan is the kind of guy that would help out a friend if she needed to keep a secret. Please tell me it's not true."

Even though she knew that she owed nothing to her former friend, Peyton still hated that she had broken her heart. She knew that this couldn't be easy news to hear. It was Haley's fault that the marriage had ended. She covered her mouth, tears springing to her eyes. Peyton choked on a sob, dropping the phone from her weakened grip. Nathan let the receiver rest on the blanket next to them as he pulled her to his body. Stroking her soft hair tenderly, he murmured reassurance that it would be okay before picking up the phone again. "Haley, Peyton can't do this right now. I promise we'll explain everything to everyone. I'm just not going to put her through this right now."

"Nate, tell me the baby isn't yours."

"I can't do that, Hales."

"Nathan, please."

"The baby is mine," he said before hanging up. Two seconds later, Peyton collapsed into a fit of sobs in his arm, a bout that would last the majority of the next ten minutes before she finally fell asleep with her head resting on his chest. Nathan held onto her tightly, vowing to protect her and their child against anything and anyone that would ever make her feel like this again. Though he knew Haley hadn't meant to upset her, he was angry at his ex-wife for doing it to Peyton. It was the first time in a very long time that he hadn't put Haley's feelings before everyone else's. Those days were long over.

When she woke up hours later, Nathan was still cradling Peyton in his arms. She looked up at him with sad eyes, all the questions resting in her foggy green orbs. "Nate, what did we do?"

He didn't know what they had done, only what they had to do. "Nothing else matters but this," he told her, resting his hand on her flat stomach. "The life in there and its two parents in this room, that's all that matters right now."

"We made a mistake," she countered coldly, the numbness piercing Nathan's heart.

Anger flared in his blue eyes and he turned to look at her. "This," he murmured, patting her stomach again before pointing at her and then himself, "is not a mistake. Our family, us, this family is not a mistake."

"We're not a family."

"Yes, we are, Peyt," he proclaimed. "You are my family now."


	6. Chapter 6

"Peyt, are you sure we have to do this now?" Nathan asked her a few days later. He nervously paced the length of his bedroom raking his fingers through his dark hair. Their friends were waiting downstairs in the living room for their belated explanation. They had put it off for as long as they could, blaming Peyton's mishap for as long as it remained plausible. Finally, she had decided last night that they had to tell their friends today. After they knew everything, they were going to sit down and talk to her dad along with his parents. Needless to say, they were both scared.

"They deserve to know," she replied as she checked her reflection in the mirror. "They already know that I'm pregnant, and eventually, the details are going to come out. I just think it's better for you and me if we deal with this upfront. I don't want to have to hide anything."

Nathan paused and looked out the window, leaning carefully against the painted ledge. "I don't want to face Haley."

"I don't even see why she had to come," Peyton grumbled before catching sight of Nathan's smirk. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. He knew that she was slightly jealous of his ex-wife, even if she didn't want to admit. There was no reason for her to be jealous. "I don't want to see her either. It was hard enough calling Jake."

"Yeah, I got a drunken voicemail last night."

"Do you think they'll ever be able to forgive us?"

Nathan looked at her sadly as he came over to the mirror and wrapped his arms around her so that his hands rested on her womb. "We shouldn't have to ask their forgiveness," he reminded her. "We didn't do anything wrong. Those relationships ended months ago."

"It doesn't make it hurt any less, though, does it?" she asked him knowingly. "Nate, think about how it felt when Haley left. I know I shouldn't care about her after what she did, but imagine how you would feel if she showed up pregnant with Chris' baby. It'd be hard."

"Yeah, she left, Peyton. She gave up the right to be jealous when she broke our vows."

She looked into his eyes in the reflection of the mirror. "It's not just them, Nate. You know that this is hard on Luke and Brooke. It puts them right in the middle of things," she explained. "I just feel bad, I guess. Haley was your friend and my wife. As much as I don't like her right now, I still know that this is hurting her, and I hate that. If you're really honest with yourself, I know that you do too."

"Maybe," he relented as he buried his face in her shoulder. "Let's just get this over with. The quicker it's all done, the quicker we'll find out our fate. If everyone can't understand, we'll just have to live with it. I can't go back, and I don't know that I would even if I could."

Nathan threaded his long fingers through hers and led her down the stairs. His parents were out for the morning, tending to their respective businesses. Their group of friends was quiet when they reached the living room. Lucas shifted uncomfortably in the center of the sofa, flanked by his best friend and pseudo-girlfriend. Haley's eyes avoided Nathan as Lucas rubbed her shoulder affectionately. Haley finally dared to look at her blonde nemesis. Anger and hurt flashed through her familiar features, causing Peyton to tense next to Nathan.

"Hey," Nathan greeted everyone casually, hoping to break the tension.

Bevin smiled from Skills' lap in one of the arm chairs. "Hey, Nate! Hey, Peyt!"

From his seat in the other chair, Mouth rolled his eyes and went back to watching Rachel run her fingers through her red hair. Peyton sat down in the only empty chair and peered up at Nathan with pleading eyes. It was clear that she wanted him to take the lead. He perched on the arm of the chair beside her and took a deep breath before starting in. "So, I guess you all want to know what happened."

"That'd be nice," Haley muttered as Lucas patted his friend's knee soothingly.

"When I came back from Florida, I was so happy to be home. The thing was, I didn't really know what I was coming to. Other than basketball, my entire life was up in the air. I was lost and confused, completely unsure of what I was going to do next."

"And I was still reeling from Jake leaving," Peyton explained. "I didn't feel like anyone cared about or noticed anything I did anymore. Brooke was in California with her family, and Lucas was busy missing her. Haley left a long time before Jake did. I was a mess."

"I wasn't ready to deal with anything or anyone, so when I came back to Tree Hill, I went to Peyton's. It was the one place where I knew I wouldn't have to deal," he told them. "She offered me somewhere to hide. She understood where I was in my life, even when I didn't."

"We just hung out. I cooked dinner while he took a nap. It was no big deal."

"Damn, P. Sawyer, you never cook for me!" Brooke interjected.

Nathan chuckled for a moment before Peyton shot him a look. "We had a little bit too much to drink, and one thing led to another…"

"And I slept with Nathan," Peyton finished. "It only happened that one time, and I thought we were careful."

"Apparently not careful enough," Haley mumbled under her breath.

"Apparently not," Peyton declared pointedly, "but it is what it is. I'm pregnant and Nathan is the father and we're going to have this baby. He and I are going to be parents. We don't know what else is going to happen, only that we're not going to get married right now."

"So what?" Haley asked quietly, her eyes still not quite meeting Nathan's. "Is this a relationship now? Are the two of you in love?"

Peyton looked to him again. "We're still figuring everything out. I just know that I care about her, and that she and this child are going to be my family."

"How could you do this to me?" Haley inquired, finally looking at Nathan. "You were my best friend. You were my husband. It was supposed to be us for the rest of our lives. Always and forever, remember?"

"You left."

"Haley, the two of you ended long before I slept with Nathan," Peyton reminded her.

"Yeah, because _you___broke up with _me_," Nathan added. "It wasn't the other way around. I didn't stop loving you. You stopped loving me."

Peyton cleared her throat. "We didn't do this to you on purpose, and I'm so sorry that it hurt you, Haley. I know you might not believe that but I do. We used to be friends, but you weren't here when Jake left. You didn't have to see what you did to Nathan. You weren't here for either one of us. You hadn't been there in quite some time. He was there when I was drowning, and I was there when he was going under."

"Why her, Nate?" Haley asked angrily. "I mean, of all people, how could you sleep with Peyton? Why couldn't it have been some random girl?"

"You did it to me," Peyton remarked. "After we had been together for years, you started a relationship with him. I learned to be happy for you guys because you made Nathan happy. I was a friend to you, Haley. You know better than anyone why it had to be me."

"But that was different," Haley protested.

"How was that different?" Nathan asked.

"I was in love with you."

"And then you weren't," Peyton chimed in. "You said wanted your dream, and you ran off on some bus to sing with Chris. Did you expect him to wait around forever?"

Haley didn't say anything. Nathan scanned the room. Lucas was staring into his lap, his body clearly tense. Bevin and Skills both looked out of place, clearly uncomfortable to be apart of something that didn't include them. Brooke was surprisingly and eerily quiet, her eyes darting from person to person. Mouth and Rachel were the only ones who seemed impartial, afraid to take either side.

"Does anyone have anymore questions?" Nathan finally asked. Brooke raised her hand. "Brooke?"

"Does Peyton realize she is going to get fat?"

"Brooke!" Peyton yelped, throwing a pillow at her best friend's face.

Rachel snickered. "Peyton is going to be fat."

"Good," Haley grumbled.

"That's it," Peyton proclaimed. "I'm done, Nate. I'm sorry, I won't do this anymore."

He nodded as she marched past everyone and up the stairs. Brooke trailed behind her. Before she started up the staircase, she looked down at the rest of their friends. "I can't believe you guys. You make me sick."

Her words clearly stung the others. Lucas finally stood up and looked at Haley and then Nathan. "Nate is my brother, and I'm going to be there for him. If that means I'm taking his side, then I guess I am," he asserted. "Haley, you've always been my best friend, but I won't be angry with you. Not over this."

Lucas followed Brooke and Peyton upstairs, leaving an awkward Nathan behind. He was left with four people who didn't quite belong and one angry brunette who was starting to hate him. "You guys, thanks for coming. I'm sorry that we put you through this," he apologized to Bevin, Skills, Mouth and Rachel. "I don't want to put anyone in the middle. I hope that you don't feel like you have to choose sides. Neither Haley nor Peyton should have to lose friends over this."

The four friends stood up and each offered their small platitudes before excusing themselves. While they were apart of the group, this was really more about the core five. When only Haley and Nathan were left in the living room, he sat down in an armchair across from her. "Haley, I'm sorry, and I hope you won't hate us. I'd like it if you could forgive me, though I'm not sure that I should even have to ask. If you only have a little bit of forgiveness left, use it on her. She shouldn't feel guilty at all here. She matters more than me."

"You love her, don't you?"

Nathan contemplated the quiet questions as he stared at her in silence. He knew then that she knew. "If you want to hate me, go ahead," he said. "It won't change anything. You just need to know that we're going to have this baby, and there is a good chance that I want to be with her. If you can't live with that…"

"If I can't live with it? What are you going to do, Nathan?"

"If you can't live with that then there is really no reason for you to be in my life anymore."

"Big deal," Haley shrugged angrily. He could tell right then that Haley wasn't in her usual state of mind. There was something cold to her. He could almost see the female version of himself from a year ago in her eyes. "It's not like I have been in months, right? That's what you keep saying. If you all can talk like I left with Chris like some skank who cheated on her husband, I should be able to say whatever I want about you and that little whore you knocked up. It's over, Nate, right?"

"And so is your place in this family," Dan announced from behind them. Nathan recoiled at his voice as he looked up to find the man looming over Haley. Fiery anger was apparent in his eyes. "Haley, get out."


	7. Chapter 7

"Nathan, your mother and I need to talk to you and Peyton in the kitchen," Dan said to his son, avoiding the three teenagers who had congregated on the landing of the staircase. He had just kicked Haley out of the house, but his voice was still eerily calm. "Everyone else needs to leave. Now."

"I'm not leaving," Haley murmured, wringing her hands nervously in her lap. She had backed down to Dan in the past when he had showed up with those annulment papers, but she wouldn't let him push her out of Nathan's life again.

Dan glanced at his son before returning his angry gaze to Haley, who was still sitting silently on the sofa. There had never been any love lost between the two of them, but Dan had clearly put the quivering brunette in her place once and for all. "I told you to get out," he sneered before turning and walking out of the room. He stopped and turned on his heel. "And don't even think of going to Karen on this one. I'm not backing down."

Not sure what else to say, Nathan started up the staircase and left Haley to figure out her own future. He had to face his own in the kitchen with his parents. They were going to tell them this afternoon, but like everything else lately, it was gong to come sooner than expected. First, however, he had to talk to Peyton.

"We'll be right in," Nathan promised his father as he jogged the rest of the way up the stairs. He found Peyton curled in a ball in the middle of his bed with Brooke and Lucas flanking her on either side. "Hey."

Lucas and Brooke looked up. "We should get going," Lucas told Peyton. "We'll call and check on you later, okay? Let us know if you need anything."

"I will," she promised. "Thanks for staying, both of you."

"That's what friends do," Brooke reminded her cheerfully, kissing her on the forehead before heading toward the door. She punched Nathan lightly on the shoulder with her signature grin. "Congratulations, Scott. You guys are going to make great parents, and I think we'll make even more amazing godparents."

"Thanks, Davis," Nathan grinned, glad to have her support. Once their friends were gone, he sat down on the edge of the bed next to Peyton. She reached for his hand, lacing their fingers together until they were so tangle that he couldn't tell where she ended and he began. "My father knows."

"Well, that sucks," she deadpanned. Nathan could read the alarm easily in her eyes. "How did he find out? We were going to wait until we could do it together."

"He walked in on Haley and me arguing."

"You guys were still fighting?"

"I had to defend you, Peyt," he retorted pointedly. "I guess Dan heard us when he got home from work. Anyhow, it got pretty ugly. I basically told Haley that if she couldn't accept this that I didn't want anything to do with her at all, not even as friends."

"Oh, Nate," she said sadly. "This is what I was afraid of. I don't want to cost you anyone that you care about, even Haley. I know that she still matters to you on some level."

He brought their hands up to his mouth and kissed her knuckles affectionately. "It would cost me more to lose you."

A wide, genuine smile spread across her face. Peyton leaned over and kissed Nathan briefly on the lips. "Thanks for that."

"Well, you're welcome," he smirked before stealing another kiss.

"So what happened then?"

"Haley made some choice comment, and that's when Dan walked in," he explained. "He kicked her out and told her not to go crying to Karen about it. Then, he told me that he wanted us to come talk to my parents in the kitchen. My mom doesn't know yet, so I guess I'll get to do that."

"Well, I guess we're going to do this now," she murmured. "I should call my dad. I don't really want to have to go through this twice."

Nathan waited while Peyton called her father on her cell phone. Larry promised to be at the Scotts' house within the next ten minutes before disconnecting the call. When she had replaced her cell phone in her pocket, Nathan tried his best to comfort her. "Don't worry, Baby," he murmured as he squeezed her shoulder, pulling her close to him. "The good thing about all of this is that we're not in it alone. Together, we can do anything. We've always made for a pretty good team."

"That's awfully optimistic of you, Nate."

"I have hope, Peyt," he shrugged. "You should try it some time."

They sat together in silence for several minutes until a doorbell downstairs announced her father's arrival. "Come on," Peyton insisted, jumping to her feet. Reaching out, she pulled him up. He was standing so close to her that he had to do it. Leaning down, he kissed her passionately, losing himself completely, if only for a moment. Her tongue traced his bottom lip as his fingers raked through her tussled curls. Licking her lips in satisfaction, she finally pulled away to catch her breath. Nathan was equally breathless from the intense moment as her seafoam eyes sparkled back at him.

"Wow."

"Mmhmm, I know," she declared proudly as she led him out of the room and back down the stairs. Dan and Deb were sitting at the formal dining room table with Larry, waiting in silence for their children to make an appearance. Dan and Larry were nursing frosted bottles of beer while Deb sipped at her hot tea. She had given up martinis when she went to rehab in favor of caffeine, but Nathan knew that she would be thirsty for vodka once she heard what they had to tell her.

"Hello, Peyton," Deb greeted Nathan's former girlfriend warmly. She had always liked the moody cheerleader, even if she was the antithesis of what her husband had wanted for their son. "Nathan, honey, your father said that you needed to talk to me. Peyton, I guess you called your father to pick you up?"

"Actually, this involves her, Deb," Dan remarked before downing a long gulp of beer.

Larry and Deb exchanged confused looks. "Here," Nathan said to Peyton as he pulled out a chair for her. His mother looked even more perplexed as she watched the two of them together. Nathan slipped into the chair next to Peyton's. She reached for his hand under the table and squeezed it supportively. "There isn't any easy way to say this, so I'm just going to tell you all and hope that you can be supportive. Peyton is pregnant, and the baby is mine."

"Oh, my," Deb laughed nervously. "I thought you just said you were having a baby."

"He did," Peyton said.

Larry looked at his daughter sharply. "Oh, my," he exhaled, his voice matching the sullen look on Deb's paled face. He slammed down the contents of his beer in one gulp and then held it up for Dan to replace. He quietly exchanged the empty bottle for another. "So, what does this mean exactly?"

"We're not getting married, at least not yet," Peyton answered.

"You're going to do the responsible thing, Nathan," Deb ordered.

Peyton spoke up. "He is doing the responsible thing," she defended him. "I don't want to marry Nathan, Mrs. Scott. We're not ready for that."

"And you're ready for a baby?" Dan demanded.

"Probably not," Nathan admitted, "but it's too late for that. Were you ready for me? What about Lucas? I don't see why we have to make two mistakes here."

"Marrying my daughter would be a mistake?" Larry shot back.

Peyton held her own. "Marrying Nathan too soon and for the wrong reasons would be a mistake, Dad," she returned. "Look, I know that you two have never really liked me, Dan. I know you both think of me as this angsty cheerleader who could never be worthy of your son, and maybe that is part of who I used to be. But just like Nathan, I've changed a lot. I've grown up. We both have. We're going to have this baby."

"You don't have to do this alone," Dan said quietly.

"What?" Nathan asked, his voice louder and higher than he had intended. He couldn't believe that his father of all people was lending his support. He had expected a long lecture about basketball, one that he was sure was still coming. However, he had never even considered that his father would find a way to be there for him.

"We will help in any way that we can," Larry agreed. "You have our support."

"They do?!?" Deb cried. "Why aren't you angrier about this?"

"Because you sure are furious," Nathan noted.

"You made a huge mistake," she stated evenly.

"Would everyone please stop calling our baby a mistake?" Peyton roared.

"It's not a mistake," Dan said. Again, his voice was calm. "Deb, you're just upset, but I know that you would never believe that a child is a mistake, especially not after what happened to us in high school. Nate has done a lot of stupid things in the past, there's no denying that. Admittedly, this may not be the smartest move he's ever made, but I will not let my grandchild be raised with two parents who don't have a clue in the world. Peyton and Nathan will not go through this alone. We're all they have."

"Mrs. Scott, I'm going to need help," Peyton said to Deb. "You have always tried to be a good mother to Nate. You were really great to me when we were together. I don't have a mother to help me, but knowing that Nathan has you, it has made it a little easier for me."

Tears glimmered in the older blonde's eyes. Right on cue, the truest part of Nathan's mother had just shown up. Few people ever got to see this side of her, but it was the part that kept Nathan sane when his father was riding him too hard. "Peyton, of course you will have me. We'll both help in any way that we can."

"Thank you," she said, hugging Deb. Standing up, she looked at her father questioningly. She could see the fear in his eyes as she wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry, Dad. I know that you wanted more for me than this…"

"Just be happy, Peyt," he murmured softly as he held her. "That's all I've ever wanted for you. I just want you to be happy."

"Nathan, honey, I love you," Deb said as she hugged her son. The truth was that she was terrified for her son. She knew that he had no idea how difficult this was going to be. She was also worried over her husband's surprising support. There had to be a hidden agenda there for Dan Scott to accept it so easily. "I just want you to know that." She looked at her husband wearily. "Peyton, why don't you and your dad come upstairs with me? I think that I have some of Nate's baby things that you might like to see."

Larry guided his daughter after Deb, leaving father and son alone in the kitchen. "Okay, Dad, tell me the truth," Nathan sighed. "You're disappointed that I've ruined my life."

"You're doing the right thing."

"What?"

"You stepped up and are doing the right thing. You're taking responsibility for your actions," Dan told his son. "I should have done that with Lucas, but I didn't. You learned from my mistakes. Even if it ruined everything else, at least you're going to take care of your kid."

"But I messed up. I messed up big time."

"Yeah, you can kiss basketball goodbye," Dan said with disappointment. "Maybe you screwed up, but when it counted, you made things right."

"Why aren't you angry?"

"Why would I have that right?" he questioned. "I know the example that I set for you. I know my history, and I am the last person that should get to judge. I'm not happy about this in the least bit, but anger won't help anyone, least of all your child. It's time that I let you be the man that you've become."


	8. Chapter 8

Nathan shook his head as he headed up the staircase toward his bedroom. The conversation with Dan had gone surprisingly well, but he was feeling put off by his father's support. He had always been hypercritical of Nathan and never made any concessions for the mistakes he made. Maybe it was because he had been in a similar situation his senior year or maybe because he actually did love his son as much as he claimed or maybe because he saw it as another way to control Nathan – the reason for his support was truly a mystery. However, Nathan knew that he couldn't focus on that right now. His first priority had to be Peyton.

The pregnant blonde was sitting on the floor when he found her in his bedroom. Piles of clothes and an assortment of baby toys were strewn around her as she poured over a book. "What are you looking at?" he asked quietly, laying a baby blue blanket to the side as he sat down next to her.

"Your baby book," she replied. Nathan watched her finger trace the lines of his mother's graceful script. The page told about his first year, things like his first word and favorite toys and notable habits. "It says that you loved carrots and hated pears. You still don't like pears."

Nathan forgot how well she knew him sometimes. "Nope, not really," he laughed. "But I still love carrots. The doctor always told me they were good for my eyes, you know. My dad said good hand-eye coordination is important to basketball, so I knew that I better eat as many carrots as I can. I guess some things never change."

"I'm glad that some things do," she smiled meaningfully. "How did things go with your father?"

"Well, he said he was proud of me," Nathan told her. "I'm not sure whether I should be terribly afraid or overwhelmingly relieved. It was weird, Peyt. I mean, I don't think it could have gone any better. It's not exactly what I expected from my dad. I know that I should be relieved, but I guess a part of me is still waiting for the other shoe to drop."

Peyton leaned her head on his shoulder. "I know that your dad always saw me as a distraction to basketball. I'm still afraid that he is going to think of me that way, not to mention our kid," she confessed. "And your mom…she was always polite to me, but I felt like she never thought I was good enough for you. I was the first woman in your life other than her. I don't think she liked me being important to you."

He wrapped his arm around her waist and readjusted their bodies so that they fit snugly together. "My mom has always liked you," he assured her. "She just didn't want there to be another thing for my dad and me to fight about. It was more about protecting me than anything. And with my dad, well, he hates anything that's more important than basketball. He knew you were a threat immediately. There was suddenly something more in my life other than the game. You were the first thing I loved other than basketball."

A small smile spread across her lips. "Today has been a long day," she sighed. "A big day for our little family."

"The worst is over."

Peyton shook her head vehemently. She wished that Nathan's assessment could be correct, but there was just no possible way given their situation. "I don't think Haley is going to be able to forgive either of us any time soon. I know that I shouldn't care about that, but somehow, I still do. Jake's angry, too. That's not going to get better any time soon."

"Baby, I promise I won't let any of it hurt you."

"You can't protect me from that, Nate. They're apart of my life, too. I won't let you deal with all of this on your own," she proclaimed supportively. "We're in this together, like we agreed. But it's not just them. We still need to figure out some things with us too."

"Like?"

"Like are we together? Do you get to date other people? What are we?"

"Wait, do you want to date other people?"

She looked down at her hands. "I'm pregnant. No one is going to want to date me."

"I want to date you. I want to be with you. Only you."

"Nate, do you mean that? Because if you're just saying that…"

"I've never meant anything more."

"Are you over Haley? I mean, really over her. Can you let go of the past?"

"I've already told you that I'm over her before, and I will keep telling you as many times as you need to hear it," he vowed. "I believe you when you say you are getting past Jake. I know you're just trying to make this okay for everyone, Peyt, but you can't do that. You can't make it okay for Haley, and you can't make it okay for Jake. Hell, you can't even make it okay for me. You have to make it okay for yourself."

"I'm afraid, Nathan," she admitted. "I'm afraid to be happy. Every time I've ever let myself be happy, it's been snatched away from me. Between both of my mothers dying and absentee father, my family has turned out to be a complete disaster. Lucas was in love with my best friend, even when I thought I might have loved him. Jake couldn't stay and wouldn't bring me with him. And you…well, you know how we ended."

"Peyton, they weren't enough for you," I declared. "Even me. You know how stupid I was. You were the best thing that ever happened to me, and I treated you like it didn't matter. Yeah, your father should have been there, but you never needed him to be okay. Look at how you turned out, you are amazing."

"What about Jake?"

Nathan knew that this was a touchy subject. Jake had loved Peyton as much as he could, but he was still a father. Now that he was about to become one, he understood what it meant to have to put a child first. However, he also couldn't imagine leaving Peyton for anything in the world. He would always take her with him. He would find a way to come back to her. "I get why Jake had to leave, but he had the chance to have everything with you. You made it easy for him, you laid it all out on the line. And he didn't… I can't believe he didn't take it."

"You left Haley," she pointed out. "Well, after she left you, I mean. She came back, though. You loved her and you could have had it all back."

"But I knew that Haley and me, we weren't everything," he tried to explain. "There was something missing. There had always been something missing,"

"What do you think was missing?" she murmured, her eyes rising to look into his.

Nathan cupped her cheek in his hand. "This," he whispered as he leaned in to kiss her. Her nose bumped against mine as she clung to him desperately, their limbs soon becoming tangled in a hurried frenzy. His fingers raked through her hair as she sighed against his lips.

"How did we end up here," he laughed as he laid her back against the plush carpet. Her arms wrapped around his neck, their hips bumping as she pulled him down toward her. Their mouths came crashing together as Nathan rolled her over until he was on top. "Is this okay for the baby?"

She nodded slowly as he started to unbutton her jeans. He smiled to himself as he watched Peyton writhe under his touch. "Don't stop," she pleaded as he dipped to kiss her collarbone. Nathan shook his head as he moved back up to kiss her full on the mouth. She was working on his belt buckle when someone knocked on the door.

"Go away," Nathan yelled before Peyton pulled him back down to where she was laying on her back. Someone tapped against the door again.

"To be continued," she murmured as she sat up, straightening her top and smoothing his hair. Once they were both proper, she strode across the room and pulled open the door. "Haley."

"Why did it take so long to open the door?" Nathan's ex-wife asked with a raised eyebrow.

Nathan held up the baby book. "We were just looking at some of my baby things."

"Oh, I remember this," Haley mused as she picked up a tiny striped sweater. "Your mom showed me these after we got married."

"Yeah, Peyt and I were just going through this stuff to figure out what we wanted to keep for our baby," Nathan explained, taking the sweater from her and handing it to Peyton. He sat back down on the edge of the bed, pulling Peyton down beside him protectively. He felt the need to shield her from whatever was coming. He knew that his actions would seem like he was throwing it in Haley's face, but he wasn't. She really didn't factor into his behavior; it was about Peyton. "So, what are you doing here?"

"I, um, just wanted to see how you both were," Haley replied. "I know I was kind of a bitch earlier. Lucas talked to me about things. I know that I overreacted."

"We're fine," Peyton said bluntly. "What do you need, Haley? I'm sorry, I just don't feel up to going another few rounds today. I know that you're used to snarky Peyton, but pregnant Peyton is too tired to deal with the drama. I just can't do it right now."

"I actually wanted to talk to Nathan. Alone."

He glanced at Peyton, searching her wide green eyes. She nodded slightly. "Fine."

"I'll walk you downstairs," he said. "I'll be right back."

Haley nodded politely as Nathan rested his hand tenderly on the small of Peyton's back and guided her into the hallway. "Wait down in the kitchen. I'm going to get her out of here as soon as I can. I'll just hear what she has to say and tell her to go."

"It's okay, Nate, I understand that you need to hear it. If this is what it takes to put this behind us, I can deal with it," she promised. "I think I'll just go home."

"Peyt, please, don't."

She smiled warmly. "I'm glad you don't want me to leave," she told him softly, leaning in to lessen the space between them. He put his hands on her hips and pulled her flush against hardened body. "I'll tell you what. You finish this thing with Haley, and then come over to my place so we can finish what we started upstairs."

"Sounds good," he growled. Pulling his keys out of his pocket, he placed them in her hand. "You take the truck. I'll get my mom to bring me over as soon as I can."

She nodded and kissed him deeply before heading down the stairs. "Hey, Nate," she called up toward him.

"Yeah?"

"What are we?"

Nathan smiled at her. "We're us, Baby. Nathan and Peyton, just like we always were."

"Good answer," she grinned. "Nate?"

"Peyt?"

"Hurry."

Nathan chuckled as she walked out of his sign and he turned to go back into his bedroom. Haley was huddled on his bed, looking straight ahead at the rap music posters on his wall with her head in her hands. "Hey."

"Hey."

"So, what'd you need?"

"I just thought we could talk"

"We already talked, Hales. I don't really have anything else to add."

"Well, I do," she asserted. "Nate, You and Peyton are together. You're going to have a baby. How can you think it's going to be easy on us?"

He looked at her incredulously. "Are you serious? This isn't easy for you? This isn't about you, Haley. For once in my life, this is just about me. It's about me and that woman that just left here. You didn't fight for me. You just let go of me when you went after your so-called dream with Chris. You didn't show up in Florida or even bother to try to get me back while you were on tour. You moved on and I had to accept it."

"I didn't move on," she spat. "You left me."

"You're right, I did, and you still didn't fight for me. You didn't even try to fight until it was too late," he shot back. "If I was still in love with you and you broke up with me, I would have come back here for you. I would have done anything to be with you. But that's all over now, and my life is with Peyton. I want to be with her."

"Do you love her? I mean, do you love her like you loved me?"

Nathan peered into her familiar eyes. "No, of course not."

"Thank God," she sighed with relief.

"I could never love anyone like I loved you, Haley," he told her. "That's kind of how relationships are. You weren't my first love, but you changed me. That will always be ours alone. It's just that Peyton loved me without having to change me. I still see that when I look at her."

"But you don't love her…"

"I never said that I didn't love her. I just said that I didn't love her like I loved you," he pointed out. "I couldn't have been in love with Peyton like this two years ago, two months ago or even two weeks ago. We had to go through all this stuff to get to where I could _really_ be in love with her. And now that we are, I know that the way I felt about her never really went away. You might not want to hear it, but I am in love with her. She changed my life without needing to change me."

Haley was crying by the time he finished. Nathan looked at her, wishing that he could comfort her as the friends they could have been. "I have to go," he apologized. "You should go see Luke or Brooke. You shouldn't be alone right now."

"Then don't leave me, Nate," she implored. "Please don't go."

"She's waiting for me," he shrugged as he walked out the door. "Peyton is waiting for me."


	9. Chapter 9

Peyton was emotionally exhausted by the time she got back to her house, not at all ready for the surprise awaiting her in her living room. "I've been waiting for you, Peyt," a familiar voice greeted her as she threw Nathan's keys on the table beside the door. It was then that she decided she had to start locking her front door. Jake was sitting quietly on her couch, kicking at the well-worn carpet underfoot.

"Why are you here, Jake?"

He shrugged nonchalantly as though he stopped by all the time and this was nothing more than a courtesy call. "I just wanted to see how you were doing," he retorted. "I know that a lot has happened, ya know, and I wanted to make sure that you were okay."

"I'm fine," she replied shortly. "Seriously, Jake, what's going on? You can't just show up like this."

Jake shook his head as he looked at her. "Are you kidding me? You called me to tell me about this baby and barely let me get a word in edgewise. Nathan told me to stay away from you last week when I called him," he rambled nervously. He hadn't really planned his impromptu return to Tree Hill very well. After convincing one of the few people he trusted at his new job to keep his daughter for the day, he had just gotten in the car and drove. "I just thought you loved me."

Peyton's eyes landed on the old faded t-shirt he wore. She recognized it as one she had picked up for him at a little vintage store in Raleigh when she went up there with Brooke after Christmas. She couldn't help but think about when that shirt and this person had been the most important things in the world. "You still have the shirt I gave you."

"It has sentimental value. You can't get rid of some things."

"And yet, others are so easily discarded," she mumbled sarcastically. She knew her words were unfair even as they came out of her mouth, but she couldn't help it. Blaming it on her pregnancy emotions, she felt like she had the right to be irrational. Barely a word from him in months and he just shows up at her door like this. She hadn't even had his new number when she had called him. Instead, she had to endure the embarrassing conversation of asking Lucas for it.

Jake walked over to where she was still standing in the doorway, her arms crossed protectively over her stomach. "I didn't discard you, Peyt," he insisted. "I had to protect my daughter. It was a bad situation, and I had to run while I still had the chance. You knew that she had to come first when you got with me. I just never thought that I would actually have to show you that."

"I understand that you had to leave for Jenny's sake," she assured him coolly. "That was never the part that I had the problem with, Jake. It's how you left me. You left so many things unresolved with us, whether you realized it or not. I loved you so much, and then I didn't feel anything about anyone at all in my life for months. I wouldn't let anyone in. So when Nathan showed up and he actually cared about me, it was like coming back to life."

"Loved?"

Of course, of everything she had just said, leave it to a guy to pick up on the only word that actually really pertained to him. "Yeah, Jake, loved. As in the past, as in I don't anymore," she said slowly. "Do you understand that concept? I had to get over you eventually."

Jake looked down at his hands. "I just didn't think you would move on with Nathan."

"I didn't either," Peyton revealed with a smile that only the lanky brunette could elicit. "But I have, Jake. He makes me feel happy. He makes me feel loved and safe."

"You said you were going to love me forever, Peyton."

"Well, not everything lasts forever," she reminded him. "My life is a perfect example of that. Some promises were meant to be broken. I'm pretty sure you knew that before me, but if not, I'm really sorry that I had to be the one to teach you that."

Nathan stood outside the front door, listening to two people come to terms with the end of a relationship that had been over for a long time. He felt slightly guilty as he pressed his ear against the side of the house to hear Peyton better, but he had to make sure that she was okay. "Listen, Jake, I know this is hard," she told him as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked down at her hands. "I hate that we might not ever be friends after this, and I hate what it's done to Haley and Nathan's relationship – whatever that is at this point."

"This isn't about Nathan!" he shouted. Peyton winced, causing Jake to bring his tone down an octave. He wasn't usually like this, but he was desperate to hold onto her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to tell. I just don't want to lose you."

Peyton reached out and placed her hand over his. "You're not going to lose me," she vowed. "We will always be friends, Jake. You helped me in more ways than you know. You taught me so much about myself. You changed my life."

"But you're going to walk away…"

"I'm not walking away from anything," she shook her head, taking a step back to put distance between them again. "It's been over for a long time. It's been months since you left. Why all of a sudden are you still interested in me? Why is it now that you feel like it's safe to show up back here?"

"I never thought I would lose you."

She twisted her hands in frustration. "You didn't want to take me with you, but you don't want him to be with me either. So am I just supposed to be alone? I deserve better than that."

"I could be that," he offered. "You could come stay with Jenny and me like we always talked about. I could help you raise this baby."

"What if that's not what I want? What if I want to raise this child with its father?" she asked him. She was getting angry at him. How could he even ask her something like that? "What if I want to be with Nathan? What if I want more for my baby than the screwed-up family I had or he had or Jenny has? What if I want a family with him?"

"You can't mean that."

"I do, Jake," she shot back. "I mean it more than anything. I love Nate."

"You love me?" Nathan shrieked from the front porch before he could stop himself. He winced when he realized what he had done before pushing the door open. He looked at his wildfire blonde and the brokenhearted boy standing in the entryway. Stumbling into the room, he couldn't contain his excitement.

"Nate, are you okay?" Peyton cried as she pushed past her ex-boyfriend.

"Did you just say you loved me?"

This wasn't exactly how she had planned on confessing her rediscovered feelings about him again, but she suddenly couldn't keep it from him any longer. Peyton shook her head vehemently as his arms found their way around her waist. "I probably shouldn't and this is all happening way too fast," she murmured. "But I love you, Nate."

"I love you, too," he murmured back as he pressed his forehead to hers. There, in front of the boy she had once loved and the front door wide open for the entire world to see, he kissed the girl he had waited his whole life to find and had been lucky enough to find once again. "Let's go upstairs and finish what we started earlier."

His whispered comment in her ear garnered an admonishing giggle before her wide green eyes darted back to Jake. She was unapologetic as she looked up at Nathan and winked saucily. "You need to go, Jake," she told her unwelcome visitor. "There isn't anything in Tree Hill for you anymore. Go back to Jenny, be a good father. That's what we're going to try to do."

"Peyton…"

"Really, I wish you the best," she smiled over her shoulder as she started after Nathan up the stairs.

Jake called out, "Peyt, wait."

"I have to go to him, Jake," she told him sadly. "I have to go to Nathan, I love him."

It was much like what Nathan had said to Haley before leaving his house. Jake watched as Nathan took Haley's hand and guided her toward the stairs. The part that made him the saddest was that he knew then that it was over. It was definitely over. "I still love you," he said to an empty living room as he reached for the doorknob. Looking back toward the staircase, he knew that this would be the last time he was ever in this house or apart of Peyton's life. There truly was nothing left for him in Tree Hill. "I will always love you."

Peyton and Nathan heard the echo of the slamming front door as Jake walked out of her house and out of her voice. Nathan moved to her instinctively, wrapping his arms around her from behind as she gazed out the window and watched Jake drive away. "I know how hard that was for you."

She turned in his embrace and shook her head. "It was right."

Nathan nodded to show her that he understood. "So you love me, huh?"

"Kind of," she blushed. "You love me?"

"That's the word on the street," he muttered as he leaned down to kiss her again. It was deeper this time without the watchful gaze of an ex-boyfriend. "Peyt, I was thinking on the way over here. I want to take you on a date. A real dinner-and-movies kind of date."

Nathan had never been one for formalities, even when they had dated the last time around. They just started hanging out, and most of their evenings out centered on basketball, keg parties or hanging out with his friends. "That sounds nice," she agreed. They wouldn't get many chances to go out once this kid came, and she intended on enjoying what remained of their freedom. "I'll tell you what, you can pick the restaurant but I get to pick the entertainment. You still owe me a concert."

He groaned good-naturedly at the mention of her music. He had always tasted her musical tastes, a point he had made known. "Alright," he agreed begrudgingly, "but we are totally going to expose this kid to everything. He or she is not going to grow up thinking that whiny emo stuff you listen to qualifies as taste."

"Yes, because your rap music clearly has a much better moral message," she teased.

Nathan stuck out his tongue at her before kissing the tip of her nose. He'd missed this kind of witty banter. It was an art he had never been able to perfect with Haley. "I'm open to negotiations. What do you say we just stick to the classics – Otis Redding, The Who? I might even give you Pearl Jam if you're nice to me."

"Otis Redding, nice, I'm impressed," she smiled in amusement. She knew that he had some of the Motown standards buried in his CD collection. He used to listen to Al Green a lot after a game to help him wind down. It was a habit he'd told her he got from his mother. They'd spent an entire Saturday in bed together once alternating between having sex and listening to the soulful songs. Sometimes the two of them had gone hand-in-hand. "Maybe that's what we should name our kid."

"Otis? Are you kidding me? Do you want the kid to get the shit beat out of him?"

"Yes, I'm kidding," she laughed. "Have you given any thought to any names?"

He looked down at his hands, wondering if he should admit that he had actually given it a little thought. It wasn't a very manly thing to confess, but he knew that it didn't matter with Peyton. She would be excited that he had started making any kind of real plans for their child. "I don't really have anything picked out for a boy, but I was thinking of maybe Anna Camille for a girl." He saw the sparkle in her eyes at his suggestion. "I want our son or daughter to have a name that means something to us. I know what your mom meant to you, and I know what Camilla meant to Whitey. He means a lot to me. Our baby would have two pretty amazing guardian angels to watch over her."

Peyton knew then and there that she wanted a little girl just so she could have Nathan's name. Anna Camille Scott would be the apple of his eye. She could see the a toddler dressed in a little punk rock tee, toting a basketball, gazing up at her mommy and daddy with those bright blue eyes from beneath a mess of blonde curls. "Well, that's just perfect."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she whispered as she kissed him. "I love you, Nathan Royal Scott, just in case you didn't quite get it before. You are a good man, and you are going to be an amazing father."

Nathan liked that she believed in him without really having a reason to. Her faith in him would be enough to sustain him the rest of his life as long as she kept saying things like that to him. "I love you, too, Peyton Elisabeth Sawyer," he replied with another kiss. "I should have told you that more when we were together before, but I promise that you're going to hear it a lot this time around."

"You never needed to say it, Nate," she assured him. "I always knew you loved me. I always knew."

It was hard to fathom how anyone could have trusted that he loved her given what he had put her through during all those months they had been together. However, despite all the fights and the cheating and the way he had treated her, Peyton had known he'd always loved her. She was at his side on all those dark nights when he had fought with his dad and never back down when he had been an ass and somehow found it in her heart to forgive him more times than he deserved. He smiled at her boyishly then. "Yeah, I knew too."


	10. Chapter 10

Two days later, Peyton sat behind the bar at Tric, a book balanced on the wooden surface while two men worked on fixing the ice machine. She had agreed to come by and watch the place while the repairmen came since there had only been lunch appointments available, the busiest time of day for the café. Besides, she had been trying to finish the book all summer and with just a week left until school started, she was determined to see it through. The entire club was quiet except for the men's sporadic conversation about the baseball game the night before. Peyton enjoyed the silence after the chaos that had ensued in her life since she had told half of Tree Hill that she was going to have the great Nathan Scott's baby.

She smiled to herself as she thought about the lanky brunette basketball star. There were still so many questions left unanswered, but she no longer worried that he didn't want her or this baby. Nathan had made it abundantly clear that whatever plans he had for the future included her. She knew that it was only a matter of time before the scholarships started coming in, and then they would have to seriously consider where their future was going to take them. She had never really thought about college much, insisting that maybe it just wasn't her. Becoming pregnant had actually started to change that. Peyton had goals for her life, but none of them had ever included a diploma. However, she wanted her son or daughter to understand that nothing was insurmountable and that she could lead the life she had always dreamt of and still be a mother.

Her phone buzzed from the bar, rattling along in time to the ring tone she had meticulously chosen for the caller. "Hey, Baby," she greeted Nathan, a blush creeping up her neck when one of the repair guys grinned at her knowingly. "I was just thinking about you actually."

"About me or about the other night?" he teased her, images of their night at her house flooding his mind. Nathan hadn't had any real time alone with Peyton since she had kicked him out of bed before the sun rose. The last thing either of them wanted to chance was an uncomfortable run in with her dad at the breakfast table. "I mean, I knew it was that memorable, but to know you're still thinking about it two days later…I have to admit, I'm impressed with myself, Sawyer. Who knew that my sexual prowess would still get to you after all these years?"

"God, you are so full of yourself," she huffed sarcastically, her voice thick with her stifled giggle. "_Actually_, I was just thinking about college and basketball and college basketball."

Nathan ran his fingers through his dark locks anxiously. His father had finally broached the subject with him this morning, wondering if he was still headed for Duke or if they should start looking for scouts at schools that Peyton was interested in. "Don't remind me. My dad's on me about it."

"Nate, don't let him get to you," she murmured softly, wishing that she was there to wrap her arms around him in reassurance. "You have to figure out what is best for you. You are an amazing basketball player. I'm sure you're going to get so many offers that you won't know how to weed through them. Just let them come to you. You'll have time to worry about it later."

"_We_ will figure out what is best for _us_," he emphasized. There was no way Nathan had any intention of making such an epic choice without her. "Peyt, I meant it when I told you that it was you and me. Whatever I do, wherever I go, you and our baby are going to be right there with me. We'll find a college that has a great childcare program and offers the music classes you want to take. As long as I have my family and get to play basketball, I honestly don't care where we end up anymore."

She knew that that wasn't exactly true. He had always dreamt of wearing the proud blue of the Duke Devils and winning a NCAA championship. She wouldn't let him lose his old dream or his new one. "I can take classes anywhere. There will always be childcare. You need to find a basketball school, Nate. That's what I want."

"We don't have to decide this right now," he reminded her, wishing to put it off for as long as he could manage. "I was actually calling to see if you wanted to hang out tonight. My parents are going out of town to some conference, so we have the beach house all to ourselves. I was thinking a little pizza, a couple movies, the sofa, you, me. What do you think?"

Peyton was jarred slightly when she heard a door slam. Her eyes met a familiar pair gazing back at her nervously. "I think that sounds like a date," she managed, despite the prying glare of her second unwelcome visitor this week. "Hey, I have to take care of something. I'll call you when I get out of here so that we can make plans."

Nathan was worried by the nervous inflection in her voice but brushed it off. He would know if something was wrong. "Alright, make sure you call me as soon as you're done, okay?" he asked softly, wanting her assurance so that he wouldn't worry too much in the mean time. "Hey, I love you."

"I love you, too," she returned before ending the call. Peyton dropped the phone back on the bar before looking over at Haley. "Haley James. What brings you by?"

"Haley Scott," she corrected the blonde curtly. No matter what had happened, she still retained Nathan's last name and she hoped a part of his heart. It was hard hearing Peyton declare her love for her ex-husband, especially knowing that he had been the one to say it first. However, she hadn't come here to fight with "the other woman." She was here to make amends. "Karen told me that you were here. It's my day off, but I wanted to come by and talk to you about something."

"Haley, Nathan and I are together. I'm not going to fight you for him," she insisted immediately. If that was what the former tutor was after, she was definitely barking up the wrong tree. As much as she cared about Nathan, she wouldn't go through another romantic triangle like the mess she had entangled herself in with Brooke and Lucas last year.

Haley shook her head as she sat down a few stools away from Peyton. "It wouldn't be much of a fight considering Nathan doesn't want anything to do with me," she admitted as she fidgeted with the retro napkin holder in front of her. "I'm actually here to apologize for the other night. I know that I put both you and Nathan in an awkward position, but I hope you can see why it was so hard for me."

Peyton nodded politely. She knew that if the situation were different and it was Haley who'd ended up pregnant with Jake's child, it would have been a very bitter pill for her to swallow. "I understand it, Haley, but that doesn't make it okay," she pointed out. "It's not so much what you said to me. It's the fact that it hurts Nathan. The last thing he wants to do is break your heart, even if you already broke his. We both know this is hard. It's not easy for anyone."

"That's exactly what Brooke said," Haley grinned. Peyton smiled at the mention of her best friend. Brooke was having a hard time seeing her two closest friends at odds over what should be a happy occasion. "She actually made me see that I can't blame you for what happened. It's about time that I start owning up to my part in it. If I hadn't left, Nathan would have never turned to you. If I had showed up earlier or if I had come back or followed him to camp…I pushed him toward you. I see that now. I regret that it happened because it should have been him and me in this situation. We were supposed to have always and forever, you know?"

Despite herself, Peyton slid down a few stools and rested her hand on her former friend's. "It's not like this is what I planned either," she confessed. "I was completely past my relationship with Nate. It was ancient history. I knew that you two were happy together, and I had found this really great guy who loved me. Just because we didn't last forever doesn't mean that we didn't love each other. Nathan cares a lot about you. You will always be something to him that I couldn't be."

"You don't have to be nice to me, Peyt," Haley managed through her tears. "I was a bitch to you. I know that I said some really awful things."

"I know what kind of person you are, Haley. You didn't mean them, you were just hurt. We do and say things in anger that aren't really us," she commiserated. Peyton had been there more than a few times. "I'm not saying that it's okay, but I forgive you. We both do. The only thing I really want to tell you is that you can't try to come between us. I'm not going to let you. It's not just about him and me anymore. This child is involved."

Haley couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy as Peyton rested her hands over her stomach. It would only be a few months before it would be physically evident that the blonde was able to give her husband what she hadn't. "I don't want to hurt Nathan," she promised. "I've already done too much of that."

"Thank you," Peyton said quietly as she removed her hand from atop Haley's and returned to her previous stool. "The other thing I should ask of you is not to put Luke and Brooke in the middle. I know that Luke is your best friend, but he's Nathan's brother. It's not fair to him to have to choose sides. We also happen to have Brooke in common. I know that she would never abandon me, not even for you. I just don't want her to have to make that choice."

"I would never do that to either one of them," Haley promised. It wasn't that she hadn't through about it and had even probably insinuated at times; however, she knew that Lucas and Brooke loved all three parties involved. She couldn't imagine asking her best friend to go against his brother. Lucas would never abandon her, even for Nathan. She was sure of that. She just didn't want to have to test the limits of his loyalty. "There's actually one other thing I should probably tell you."

Peyton looked up at her, so many things flying through her head. There were a million little bombs that Haley could drop right now that would send her world out of orbit. "Oh," she exhaled nervously. "What's up?"

"Nate and I had signed an extension on our apartment before I left on the tour. I tried talking to the landlord, but I couldn't get out of it," she explained. "I can't really afford the rent, so Karen is going to let me stay with her and Luke. I was wondering if maybe you and Nathan wanted to take over the lease once you get on your feet. I'm sure that he isn't going to want to stay with his parents for too long."

They hadn't even started talking about living arrangements. It seemed too strange to consider living in the little place he had shared with Haley. "I just don't think that's a very good idea," Peyton shook her head. She knew she couldn't do it. "But maybe you don't have to live with Luke. Brooke is going to need somewhere to live once her house is finally sold. The two of you could be roommates."

"Are you sure you'd be okay with that?" Haley asked skeptically. "I assume you would want to come over and hang out with your best friend. Would you be fine if I was there?"

"I'm sure," Peyton nodded thoughtfully. "I don't want to hold any grudges. As long as you respect my situation with Nathan, we shouldn't have any more problems. We might not go back to being friends right away or anything, but I don't want to hate you either. You both need an affordable place to live. I'll talk to Nathan about signing the lease over to Brooke this week."

"Thank you, Peyton," Haley said genuinely. "This is weird, by the way."

Peyton laughed. "I know."

"Alright, well, I should probably get back to Karen's. Lucas is supposed to take me shopping for new clothes. I can't believe we finally start our senior year next week," she declared as she started toward the door. "Thanks for hearing me out, Peyton."

A bright ray of sunshine flooded the dim bar as Haley left the club. One of the repairmen magically appeared with a completed invoice ready for her signature. After sending the two men on their way, Peyton quickly went to work locking up Tric. As she turned off the lights and scrounged in her back for the keys to her beloved black convertible, she waited for Nathan to pick up the ringing phone. "Hey, Baby, I'm on my way to you."


	11. Chapter 11

She could hear the voices even before she made it up the sidewalk to the sprawling Scott house. Dan was home and angrier than Peyton had heard him since the night he found out that his prized son had married the James girl from the wrong side of the court. She had expected a similar demonstration the night that they told his parents that they were having a baby, but Dan had managed a surprisingly cool demeanor. Now, nearly a week later, his angry voice welcomed her as she arrived unannounced to Nathan's house. They had a check-up with the baby doctor, the first since their impromptu visit to the emergency room the night of the disastrous dinner with their friends.

Peyton stopped on the front porch to listen to the conversation. It sounded fairly one-sided, with Dan doing most of the talking. Sitting on the top step, she cradled her head in her hands as she listened to the explosive screaming coming from inside. "Dammit, Nathan, this was your one shot!" Dan yelled at his son. "I told you two weeks ago that the recruiter from North Carolina was coming today. Look, you got yourself into this situation, and I tried to play the supportive father role. However, I will not let you throw away your entire future just because you went and knocked up a cheerleader. You just call Peyton up and tell her that you're not going to be able to take her to the appointment."

She waited a moment for Nathan to defend her, but his reply never came. Instead, Dan seemed to like the sound of his own voice more than usual because he started in on another tirade. "Are you even going to say anything?" he taunted. "You screw up, and I have to work my ass off to fix it. We didn't work this hard to see it all slip away."

"We didn't work this hard?" Nathan dared to question his father. "I'm fairly certain that this is my gift, my life. Don't stand there and look at me like I'm you, Dad. Because I'm not. I could never walk away from my child like you walked away from Lucas, not even for basketball. I love the game almost more than anything, but I don't love it more than I love Peyton or our baby."

"And just how do you expect to support this child, Nathan?" Dan sneered as he paced the length of the spacious living room. He raked his fingers through his dark locks anxiously, one of the few quirky habits Nathan shared with his father. "If you don't come through on your part of the bargain – school and basketball – the money stops. I only agreed to help you if you keep up your grades and play well. I don't seriously think that disappointing the recruiter from one of the nation's top basketball colleges is the way to go, do you?"

The blonde sitting outside couldn't help but wince at what Dan had just said to Nathan. She hated that he was holding this over his son's head. No matter how grand Nathan's gestures were when it came to being a supporting father, she hated that he was going to have to sacrifice any part of his dreams. He had told her that his dreams had started to change, but she knew that part of his heart were still with basketball.

"I am going to take Peyton to her appointment, and then I am going to go to basketball practice just like I had planned. If the recruiter wants to see me, he'll wait. The truth is going to come out eventually. I don't plan on hiding the fact that I am a father," Nathan declared, his voice sounding stronger than before. Peyton stood up and peered through the curtains into the living room. "As for your not-so-subtle threat, do what you want, Dad. You always have."

Dan crossed the room in three long strides before looking straight into his son's blue eyes. "I told you once, Son, and I will tell you again. I will _not_ let you screw this up."

Nathan smirked as he hung his head and shook it slowly. "You hate that you don't have the control anymore, don't you?" he scoffed. "It must kill you to know that you can't tell me what to do. I don't need you anymore, Dad. I'll figure out a way to take care of my family, with or without your help. You can't hurt me because I won't let you. I have Peyton now. I have something worth so much more than making you proud of me. I am going to be the man you never were and the father you never were. I guess I should thank you for showing me what kind of person not to be."

With his scathing final comment, Nathan picked up his gym back and strode out of the house. As he stepped out into the humid August afternoon, he missed the tiny blonde now huddled on the porch swing. The anger rolled over him in waves, as tiny little flashes of his domineering father of the years came rushing back to him all at once. Nathan chucked his bag on the lawn angrily, muttering curse words under his breath. Just as he was about to march back in the house and go another few rounds with his father, he felt a pair of arms encircle his waist from behind and a warm cheek press against his back. He would know those chipped black-polished nails anywhere. "How much of that did you hear?"

"Enough to know that you really need this," she murmured as she came around to face him. She wrapped her arms around him in a comforting embrace. Nathan rested his chin on top of her golden girls, returning the hug with a fierce intensity. "Nate, I hate that this is another rift between you and your father."

"Trust me, Peyt, you're definitely not to blame," he assured her as he pulled back to meet her gaze. "My dad has been telling me what to do my entire life. He has had everything planned out for me since before I was born, and this is the first time I've really deviated from his plans. He hates that there is anything that I could love more than basketball because he never has. Not my mom, not Karen, not even Lucas or me. It was all about the game for him. I was like that for a long time, too, because it was all I knew. And then I met an angsty blonde cheerleader, and she threw me for a total loop."

She smiled as she remembered those precious first days when they had been together the first time. That long summer where she would meet him secretly after he was finished lifting weights and they would make out behind the gym until Dan would come to collect his son. She had fallen for the golden boy hard, and everything was a new experience that they were going through together. When it was good, it had been very good. They had gotten quite a few months of that happy phase before the inner Scott had come out in Nathan and he had checked out on her. Six months later, he was married to Haley and she had somehow convinced herself that she was in love with his brother. Another six months later, they were standing together on his front lawn, talking about their child and a life together.

"I don't want to be like my father."

His confession was soft and sad, enough to break Peyton's already fragile heart. Her watery eyes met his. "You won't be, Nate," she promised him. "You're already so much more than him."

Those words coming from her lips were almost enough to make Nathan believe it. He could almost have faith that he would never let the part of his father that was inside of him come through. "I am going to take you to this appointment, and I am going to be there for every single one after this. I don't care if it is the day of some important game or when a recruiter is in town or whatever, this is more important. And I promise that I am going to do my best to be there for everything else the rest of our lives because nothing matters more to me than our family. I want to live up to the man you see when you look at me."

Peyton encircled her arm around his waist as they walked down the sidewalk toward her black convertible. She handed the keys over wordlessly to Nathan as he closed the passenger door behind her. This had become their routine already, one that had started the first time around. He slipped behind the driver's wheel and brought the engine to life with the simple twist of the key in the ignition. The Ataris flooded the cab of the car as they waxed poetic about "The Boys of Summer" like the old Don Henley song.

"You know, this song has always reminded me of you."

She looked up at him in surprise. Nathan had never really been one to talk to her about music, let alone seeing any deeper meaning in it. He mostly made fun of her love of emo and complained when she turned it up in his truck. "Oh, really?" she asked with amusement. "And why is that exactly?"

"Well, besides the fact that you made me listen to this album the entire summer after it came out," he joked as she leaned back in her seat and he pulled out onto the street. It was one of those late summer days where the air was so still and the humidity was so hot that you could barely breathe. However, the cool air blasting through her air conditioning vents was enough to keep them both comfortable. "It was kind of the soundtrack of our relationship at the time. Think about all the lyrics that pertain to us. Like, there's that whole verse. 'I never will forget those nights, I wonder if it was a dream. Remember how you made me crazy? Remember how I made you scream...'"

"Now I don't understand what happened to our love," Peyton sang along, her voice filling the car as she lost herself in the familiar lyrics. As much as Nathan always pretended to hate her music, he always loved watching her get into it. She was at her very best when she was completely wrapped up in a new song that she was falling in love with. "But babe, when I get you back, I'm gonna show you what I'm made of."

Nathan grinned at her. "Exactly. We would fight until we were both blue in the face, and I would leave your house swearing that you were completely insane," he remembered. "And then I would show back up after I realized how amazing you were, always promising myself that I was going to be the better man that you deserved. I just never quite lived up to that part of the deal."

"You're living up to it now," she pointed out with a smile before reaching across the console for his hand. "So what else in the song reminds you of me? I kinda like seeing how you see me through a song. It's a very attractive side of you, Mr. Scott."

He ducked his head sheepishly because he knew that this wasn't like him. He'd never been comfortable being a sappy romantic, but everything about Peyton him want to be honest about how he felt. "I could just imagine you riding around in your car, with the top down and your sunglasses on, blasting this song. It's such a literal interpretation of the song, I know, but it just fits you. I like that there is this piece of music out there that I can listen to whenever I'm thinking about you. Does that make me totally whipped?"

"Oh, yeah, totally," she assured him with a nod before bursting out into laughter. "Actually, I just think it makes you sweet, Nate. You know how much music means to me, and if there is even one song that we both happen to love that means something to you, that makes me really happy."

"Well, my whole goal in life is to make you happy now, if only to see that signature Sawyer smile," he retorted as he pulled up to a stop light. He felt Peyton tense up next to him as she always did. Her grip on his hand tightened. He brushed his thumb over her knuckles and smiled at her reassuringly. She managed a tight grimace as the light turned green. The car ahead of him lunged forward, but Nathan remained stationary. "You okay?"

She managed to nod as her free hand came to rest on her stomach. "I've just been thinking about my mom all day, and I guess I still have those moments when I stop at a red light," she tried to explain. She knew that this was something that she was going to have to deal with eventually, but it barely made any sense in her own head. "Finding out I was pregnant, one of the things that I started to think about was how she would take it. Would she be proud? Would I be a disappointment? And then I start to worry what if something happens to me. I don't want our son or daughter to have to grow up without me. I know it's crazy to worry like that, but I can't help it."

Given her history, Nathan thought that her anxieties were only normal. "Peyt, I can't promise you that nothing is going to happen. I can promise you, however, I am going to do everything I can to protect you. I'm planning on being with you for the rest of my life, and I can't do that if you up and leave me before I'm ready," he declared. "As for your mom, I never knew her. However, I know how much she loved you from the way you talk about her and the stories I've heard your dad tell and what Brooke's told me. She would be proud of the choices you have made in this situation and what a strong woman you are. I have no doubt that she would be supportive and that she's looking over you now like your own personal guardian angel."

Peyton would do anything in the world to give Nathan one ounce of the selfless love she had been blessed with through her mother. He had never known that unconditional love with his own parents. Deb had tried but her addictions had often mattered more than her son. Dan's personal hang-ups, ego and domineering presence were enough to keep any pure emotions away other than pity and rage. They had never loved their son as openly and as perfectly as Peyton's mother had loved her. As she would love their child. As she would spend the rest of her life loving him.

"I love you, Nathan."

He thought her comment came from nowhere, not knowing the thoughts going on inside her head. However, he didn't need to know them to know that she meant it. "Love you, too," he retorted before leaning down to address her abdomen. "I love both of you." Peyton giggled as he rubbed her stomach for a moment before heading down the road again. "After this doctor's appointment, do you think you could come to the school with me? I want both my girls there when the recruiter sees me play."

"Oh, so you think it's a girl now?"

"No," Nathan corrected her. "I _know_ it's a girl now."

"And there's that cocky Nathan Scott that we all know and love," she shook her head as he pulled into the parking lot outside the hospital. "Just when I think you're getting all soulful and sensitive, the real you comes sneaking out."

"They're both the real me, Peyt," he said seriously.

"I know, and I love both of them."

"Can't say it enough now, can you?"

"Nope," she grinned proudly. "I wasted months not saying it. I don't plan on making that mistake again."

"Good," he decided as he shuffled out of the car and around to help her out, "because I'm not very good at being the real Nathan Scott without you."

"Well, I promise that you'll never have to be anything else for anyone else ever again,"

_Author's Note: Just want to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I apologize that I didn't get back to you, but I've been fighting a nasty cold all week. However, I read and appreciated every last one of them and hope that you will continue to grace me with them in future updates. I promise that there is a lot more angst and joy and hope and sorrow and melodrama and romance to come!_


	12. Chapter 12

Nathan was only ten minutes later to basketball practice, something that did not go unnoticed by his fellow teammates or his coach. Whitey had been informed of the change in his situation a few days prior, a conversation that had gone surprisingly well. Nathan's mentor had respected the high school senior for doing the right thing despite the example his father had set eighteen years before. Whitey had agreed to let him continue to play as long as it didn't interfere with school. His role as a father and a student had to come first, something Nathan had told him outright.

"Sorry I'm late, Coach!" Nathan said breathlessly as he ran onto the court, still clutching Peyton's hand. He escorted her over to the bleachers where the other basketball girlfriends sat, kissing her on the cheek before returning to his coach's side. He didn't need to look up into the stands to know that his father was there with the recruiter. Nathan couldn't focus on that. He had to focus on putting in the best practice he could. "Peyt had her first doctor's appointment. We've scheduled any future appointments around practice."

"That's quite alright, Son," Whitey assured him. Lucas had already explained the situation when he had come to the high school a half-hour before practice started. While the older Scott boy had been concerned that their coach would be upset that Nathan had neglected to inform Whitey about the appointment prior to the day, the older man had been proud that Nathan was making this child a priority above everything. He'd always had a soft place in his heart for Peyton, so he knew how much she deserved Nathan's turn as a good man. "That fancy recruiter from North Carolina is here. Are you ready to show him what you got?"

Shrugging nonchalantly, Nathan watched his teammates execute a complex play that ended with Skills putting the ball up at the three-point line. "I'm just here to practice, Coach," he reminded him as he removed his warm-up pants and tossed them on the bench. With one last look over his shoulder at his favorite blonde for inspiration, Nathan jogged onto the court with a fierce determination that he hadn't felt in quite some time. "Luke, I'm open!"

Peyton spent the next twenty minutes with fellow cheerleaders, dancers and other popular girls deemed hot enough to be the girlfriends of Tree Hill's elite basketball players. These girls had been her inner circle just a year ago when she and Nathan had been the golden couple of Tree Hill High. Now, in her second month of pregnancy and with the word slowly making its way around town, she was nearly an outcast among the judgmental clique. She didn't really mind that they didn't accept her. She had never really been like them, anyhow. Other than Brooke, Bevin and then Haley, she hadn't ever really had any of them that she would consider close friends.

"Look at my baby!" Bevin squealed to her left, elbowing her in the side as Skills went for an easy layup down the court. The bubbly blonde clapped her hands excitedly as Peyton rubbed her ribcage tenderly. "Oh, Peyton, I'm sorry. I forgot."

"It's okay, Bevin," Peyton reassured her as she watched Nathan easily steal the ball from one of the sophomores and fast break down the court in the opposite direction. "Way to go, Nate!"

Bevin laughed as she slung her arm around her fellow cheerleader's shoulder. "What feels familiar about this? Who would have thought that you and Nathan would ever get back together after the way you broke up? I mean, he was, like, _married_. You dated his brother. It's just weird."

"Yeah, thanks, I had forgotten about all that," Peyton retorted with a sarcastic laugh. Had it been anyone else, Peyton might have been offended. However, she knew that Bevin's comments came from a good place of emphathy and that she could never hurt anyone's feelings. There were few people with purely good intentions, and Bevin Mirskey was one of them. "Oh, good, there's Brooke!"

Brooke sashayed down the sidelines of the court, her face breaking out into her signature smirk when her little show elicited a few whistles. She climbed onto the bleachers and slid in next to her best friend. "Hey, Bev! Hey, Best Friend!" she greeted Peyton as she hugged her. "How was the doctor appointment and how are our boys doing?"

Peyton's face lit up at the mention of the doctor appointment. She had been so worried about getting Nathan to practice on time that she hadn't really been able to reflect on how well their first appointment had gone with the doctor. "Really good, actually," she told her. "The doctor said that everything looks healthy and that the baby is progressing just like it should. It's going to be awhile before we can find out the sex, but Nathan is so sure that it's a girl. You should have seen him, Brooke, he was so sweet, so attentive. The look on his face when they did the first ultrasound…he already loves this kid so much."

"It looks like he's not the only one," Brooke pointed out, noticing the joy apparent on her best friend's face. She had never seen her look happier, not even on her best days with Jake. "You look beautiful, Peyt. I know that you can't even tell that you're even pregnant yet, but you're just beaming with happiness."

"I actually am," she confessed quietly. Bevin had left them pretty much as soon as Brooke had arrived, knowing how the two shut out the rest of the world when anyone else was around. "Nathan has been really great. My dad is dealing with it surprisingly well, not to mention how supportive you've been. I even had a decent talk with Haley."

"I know, she told me," the brunette replied. "Thank you for suggesting the apartment situation, Peyt. I know that couldn't have been easy for you."

"You need someplace to live, and I'm not exactly going to have the space once this baby comes along," she pointed out. "Besides, Nathan and I couldn't live there. I don't know what is going to happen or where we are going to be in seven months, but we have time to figure it out. I don't want to go rushing into anything. This means too much to me to just mess it up because we're afraid or irrational."

"Nathan loves you, you know."

"I know," she acknowledged. "I love him, too." Brooke grinned and clapped her hands excitedly before wrapping her best friend into a tight hug. "You know that I'm not the only one who's in love here. What's going on with you and Luke? I know how much he cares about you, B. Davis. You shouldn't string him along just because you're scared of getting hurt. He's not going to do it again. He loves you."

Brooke had come up with the open dating relationship with Lucas as a way to protect her heart, that extra security blanket she could wear around her heart so that he couldn't hurt her the way he had the last time. A lot had changed since the last time they attempted to have a relationship, but she couldn't forget how things had ended. He hadn't been there when she thought she was pregnant, and that was after he had shattered her heart with her best friend. She had been able to forgive Lucas and Peyton, but it hadn't been easy. It wasn't that she didn't love him. It would have been easier if she hadn't. It was that she loved him too much. That love gave him the power to be able to destroy her heart.

Peyton was just about to say something else when the entire gymnasium erupted into applause. She turned back to the court just in time to see Nathan shoot just outside the paint as the buzzer rang out at the conclusion of the practice game. The ball swished through the next easily, sending everyone into another round of cheers. Nathan closed his eyes as the ball bounced onto the court and his teammates flooded around him.

From the midst of the huddle on the court, Nathan felt that familiar adrenaline coursing through his veins that he always got at the end of a really good practice or game. It was the first open practice of the season, a time-honored tradition in Tree Hill. Peyton had come with him to the same practice exactly one year ago, and they had fought afterward when he had wanted to go to party rather than back to her house to watch movies. Remembering that night and how far they had come, he couldn't help but search her out in the crowd. As his azure eyes met her green ones across the gym, the brilliantly proud smile on her face meant more to him than any praise from a recruiter or accolades from fans ever could.

He shouldered his way out of the crowd and over to the stands where she stood. He took her hand and brought her down on the court, wrapping her in a hug. "Well, I think you were good luck there," he whispered to her as he brought their entangled hands down to her stomach. He caught sight of the recruiter and his father coming down to the floor to meet him. "Great, here he comes."

Peyton pulled back and looked into his eyes. "Remember, it's not about Dan now. It's about you and this game. Just talk to the recruiter, here him out," she reminded him. "Your father doesn't have the control, Nate. You do. You decide."

"We decide," he emphasized, pulling apart but keeping a tight grasp on her hand as he turned to meet the recruiter. He reached out and shook the older man's hand as Whitey came over to join them. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Holbrook."

"Very impressive, Nathan," the recruiter praised. "If you play this well against those other two high schools next week during preseason play, it looks like you're shaping up to have a really great season. I will definitely be back to check out in a few weeks."

Nathan smiled politely. "That sounds great. I'm sure that my father has shared all my recruitment materials, and if you have any questions about anything else, Coach Whitey has been with me for the last three years," he explained. "I really appreciate you coming down here. If you will excuse me, I have to go have a captains' meeting with my team now." He turned and brushed a kiss over Peyton's cheek. "I'll see you in the parking lot afterward so I can take you home."

Peyton nodded as she watched Nathan jog across the court to join Luke in leading the meeting with all the players. She kept her gaze fixed on him while listening to Dan and Whitey talk to Holbrook about Nathan as if she wasn't there. Finally, growing bored after a few minutes, she headed out into the warm sunshine just to escape the stifling boasting of Dan Scott. She had only been outside for a few minutes when a familiar blonde appeared at her side.

"I hear that I missed quite a practice."

"Nate did really well, Mrs. Scott," Peyton told Deb with a nod. "Of course, it didn't help that Dan tried to argue with him this morning. After everything Nathan has put into basketball, I don't understand how that man can still question his devotion to the game. Nate has given everything up for basketball. The first time that something comes along that means to him more than some stupid orange ball, Dan acts like his son is a traitor. How did you ever fall in love with that man?"

Deb wanted to explain that Dan hadn't always been the ass that he was now, but she knew that she would be lying. The adolescent version of herself that had agreed to marry him had been a scared pregnant teenager. She had been enamored by his good lucks and his money. She still enjoyed his money, but his looks had faded over the years, leaving behind an angry shell of a man. "I don't know," she admitted, "but I'm still glad I did. I wouldn't have Nathan if I hadn't met Dan. I think you can understand that."

Peyton could appreciate the twisted irony that she had to be grateful to Dan Scott because it gave her Nathan, who had eventually given her this child. "We had a doctor's appointment today," Peyton replied as she pulled a folded piece of paper from her messenger bag. "I'm due in March."

Deb's face lit up as she looked at the blurry image of her grandchild's first ultrasound. "Oh, Peyton," she mused in awe. "I know this sounds crazy, but it's beautiful."

"I know," she grinned as she looked over her shoulder. "Nathan thinks it's a girl. He already has this image in his head. Hey, Mrs. Scott, can I ask you something?"

"If you call me Deb, you can."

"Deb," Peyton emphasized, "are you really okay with this?"

Deb reached down and clasped the young girl's hand. "I won't pretend that this is the route that I would choose for Nathan and you. After what I went through, I always wanted more for my son," she answered. "However, I can already see the impact you've made on my son and how happy he's been. I haven't seen him like this in a long time, probably not since he was a very little boy. If this is what Nathan wants, then I am happy for you. I've always wanted to be a grandmother, and at least this way, I will get to enjoy it for a long time to come."

"I'm glad to hear that," Peyton sighed with relief. "Are you okay that it's me and not Haley?"

"I don't hold anything against Haley. They were very young when they got married, and I'm not sure that either of them really knew what it meant. I think it was more of a way to escape their lives than anything. I don't blame her for chasing after her dreams because if she hadn't gone then, she never would have. They would have been trapped in a loveless marriage where they blamed each other for what went wrong. I've been through that. I want more than that for Nathan. If this is what turns out to be it for him, then I'm okay with it. You make him happy, Peyton, and that's all that really matters."


	13. Chapter 13

Ever since she was a knobby-kneed five-year-old in itchy tights and a red plaid dress, Peyton had always loved the first day of school. Her mother had made it almost like a holiday for her each year, preparing her favorite breakfast that morning before sending her off with a brand new backpack filled with school supplies. They would spend a week before the big day combing stores all over Tree Hill for the coolest folders and notebooks and the most fashionable jeans. Her father had tried to keep up the tradition after her mother's death, making sure to return to sea to see her off on the school bus through middle school and wave to her from the curb as she drove off during high school.

However, in all her first days of school, Peyton had never had to return to school a pregnant teenager. While she was still in her first trimester and not at all showing, she was beginning to feel like her clothes were too snug. Nothing fit right, and even when it did, Peyton refused to believe that she looked decent in anything. Brooke had spent hours trying to convince her that the jeans she had tried on at the new boutique downtown made her assets look killer, but Peyton felt out of place. It was only after Brooke got tired of shopping, an amazing feat in and of itself, that she finally threw a few things on the counter in hopes of being able to come up with a decent outfit for her first day.

Larry had had to go out on a shipment two days before school started, something that had saddened Peyton significantly. He had apologized profusely as he left her that morning, but she had understood because he had overstayed after she had announced her pregnancy. She was nearly eighteen now anyhow, and she could take care of herself. She didn't need her father to see her out the door or hand over lunch money. She had gotten through far worse on her own, and this was just another day that she would have to do alone.

Standing in front of the full-length mirror in her bedroom, she almost felt like an imposter. She was no longer just the broody cheerleader who ruled the school as part of a golden couple or as half of a close-knit friendship with the class president. Peyton was going to be a mother, just another statistic. She was going to have to trade in her uniform for maternity clothes, her pom-poms for baby bottles. Resting her hands on her stomach, she turned to the side and sighed heavily. As worried as she was about what this morning had in store for her, she was more concerned about Nathan. He had a reputation to uphold, at least when it came to the recruiters. In just a matter of a few hours, they would both be forced to face their change in circumstances.

Peyton shook off the looming feeling hanging over her head as she yanked a pair of faded jeans from her bureau and pulled them over her long legs. Adding her favorite Ramones tee and a soft cashmere cardigan, she knew that it was a far cry from the perfectly selected outfit she would have probably chosen if her mother had been there. She dragged her fingers through her wild curls in a lame attempt to tame them, giving up before she really put in any effort into it. Peyton slung her messenger bag over her shoulder and ambled down the stairs, not at all prepared for what she was about to find.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

A spatula fell onto the floor as a slightly shaken Nathan turned around, his eyes wide at being caught before he was ready. His new sweater was covered in flour. "You're not supposed to be up yet!"

Peyton laughed as she came further into her kitchen. The contents of two grocery bags were scattered across the counter along with various bowls and pans. "Sorry, I wasn't aware that I was going to have company this morning," she smiled as she wrapped her arms around him from behind. Nathan turned the waffle iron over before turning around in her arms. "What are you doing?"

"Making you breakfast."

"Nate!"

He smiled knowingly, fully aware that it was a very smooth move on his part. "I remember you telling me about how your mom would always make you waffles on the first day of school," he revealed. "Since your dad couldn't be here, he and I worked it out so that I would be here to make sure you got your breakfast. Happy First Day of School, Peyt."

She leaned forward and brushed a kiss over his lips. Out of everything that Nathan had ever given to her, this breakfast by far meant the most. To know that he had been listening when she had told him that story nearly two years ago on the first day of their sophomore year, it spoke about a part of the basketball star that few would ever get to know. "You are an amazing guy."

"Don't say that yet. You haven't had my waffles yet. I've never really done this before."

"I don't care if they're burnt to a crisp; this is going to be the best meal of my life."

"Well, if you think I'm amazing now, just wait to see what else I have for you," he boasted as he slid two waffles onto a plate. He spread them thick with peanut butter and smothered them with fresh maple syrup, exactly how she took them. He ushered her over to the counter, set the plate in front of her and poured her a cup of hot tea. Peyton started to eat her breakfast while Nathan retrieved her other gift. She looked at him skeptically as she sat down her fork. Peeling back the paper of the gift bag, her face lit up as she peeked inside. "I can't believe you!"

Peyton pulled out the bright notebooks, folders with colorful patterns and oversized pencils. There were stickers and shaped erasers and pens with different colors of ink. He had found all of her favorite candy and even made a new mixed CD full of her favorite artists for study music.

"It's not much really. I knew that today was going to be hard, so I wanted to do something nice for you so that you could start it off on the right foot," he murmured as he allowed her to take his hand. "Do you really like it?"

She had never seen Nathan look unsure a day in his life, but it suddenly mattered to him that she like his gift. "You have no idea how much this means to me, Nate," she assured him with a kiss. "I've been worried about how today was going to be for you, and all this time, you were more worried about making it a memorable day for me."

"Look at us being adults," he laughed. "We're more worried about each other than we are about ourselves."

Peyton turned serious for a moment. "You know I love you, right?"

Nathan nodded, "Of course."

She moved closer to him, angling her body between his parted knees as he sat next to her at the counter. "I never thought that you and I would be back here, but then again, I'm not sure we've really ever been here before. It feels like we're in such a better place than we were before, Nate. I can see it in your eyes. I feel like I'm your number one priority. I've never felt like that with anyone. You make me feel like I am the most important thing in the world, our baby and me. No matter what happens today, I get to come home knowing that. I know what you've given up to be this man for me, and I want you to know how much that means to me."

He threaded his fingers to hers and pulled her closer to him. "I'm getting back so much more than I am giving up, Peyt," he emphasized. "I get to be with you. I get to be a father to our child. I get to be the man that you love. Basketball is just a game. High school is just another year. This – you and me – is the rest of my life. I want you to know how much _that _means to me."

The two of them enjoyed a domesticated breakfast together, talking lightly about their final year of high school and the gossip mill that would invariably starting churning when they made their first appearance together. Word had already started to spread around town, but the first day of school promised to let their so-called secret become Tree Hill's latest scandal. Neither of them was looking forward to walking the halls with all the whispers directed their way, but they weren't afraid of what was going to come their way. If they had survived telling Haley and Jake and their parents, they would manage to make it through this.

Exactly ten minutes before the first bell was set to ring, Nathan pulled his truck into the student parking lot and shut off the ignition. Peyton had left her car at home for the day, electing to drive with him so that they could walk into school together. It felt a little bit more bearable doing it together. He scrambled from his seat and raced around to help her out of the vehicle. "Ready for this?"

Peyton scanned the bustling lawn and shook her head. "Not even a little," she admitted. They were already receiving probing looks from students and teachers alike. Peyton had never been one to care what people thought about her and she still didn't. She only cared what they thought of Nathan. Her last lingering fears were set at ease as he entwined their hands together and pulled her toward the school. Just as they were about to step onto the sidewalk, relief washed over at the welcomed sight of her best friend and former boyfriend. "Brooke!"

"Best Friend!" Brooke called as she turned away from a laughing Lucas and waved to the blonde. Nathan had asked the pair to meet them out front to help Peyton feel more comfortable. Peyton was just about to let go of Nathan's hand and jog over to meet Brooke when Haley appeared out of nowhere. Nathan pulled her back suddenly, stepping in front of her protectively. "Hey, Tudor Girl."

"Hey, Brooke," Haley grinned as she nudged Lucas' shoulder. "I can't believe we're finally seniors."

"Yeah," he replied shortly, unsure of how to react. He had had a tense conversation with his best friend last night to make sure that she was going to be okay with seeing Nathan and Peyton together in front of the whole world. "Nathan and I have already been stuck in this place for a week."

"Oh, how's practice going?" she replied as she turned to ask Nathan. He relaxed a little as Peyton came to his side, her fingers still firmly locked in his. "Think Tree Hill will go all the way this year?"

Nathan shrugged and smirked confidently. Anyone who knew anything about basketball knew that Nathan Scott would very likely lead Tree Hill to the state championship. It was set to be the cherry atop of a phenomenal high school career that was expected to lead to an even better college stint. "I know Tree Hill will go all the way this year."

"Kind of like you and Sawyer, huh?" Rachel sneered as she breezed by, her flame-red hair swishing as she passed. Brooke yelled a profanity after her, causing the snarky cheerleader to turn on her heel and stomp back across the yard. "Look, if Little Orphan Sawyer can't take the heat, she shouldn't have show up here today. She had to have known that she was only going to be made fodder for the gossip mill. I figured it was something she was used to after all these years."

Peyton dropped Nathan's hand as she marched up to the cheerleader, not at all letting her pregnant state stop her from being the headstrong blonde they all knew and loved. "Are you actually jealous of me, Rachel?" she laughed, her hand on her hip. She turned and looked at Nathan with that same confident smile that had captivated him the first time he saw her talking with Brooke by her locker. "I mean, Nate is pretty hot, and he is all mine. He wouldn't even give you a second look when you threw yourself at him and basically begged to sleep with him. I didn't even have to try. It must be pretty humiliating to be shown up by trash like me, huh?"

Haley and Brooke didn't even attempt to hide their giggles as they laughed at Peyton's blatant insults. "Yeah, because that's every girl's dream," Rachel rolled her eyes sarcastically, "to be knocked up by Mr. All-American over there. The two of you will make some pair. I don't think the school allows pregnant cheerleaders. It's not good for our image, you know. And Nathan, how are you going to push a stroller with one hand and dribble with the other? I know you're good, but you're not that good."

"Oh, no, but he is," Peyton argued with a knowingly lilt in her voice. "You should see the things he can do with his hands. Nate has no problem getting the job done when he puts his mind to it."

"Peyt, I'd have to touch her for that to be possible," he reminded his girlfriend, "and as you so delicately pointed out earlier, I refused to do that."

"Like I'd want Sawyer's sloppy seconds," Rachel huffed. "Although, that apparently didn't bother Haley over there, did it?" The redhead turned her attack on Haley. "This must suck for you, sweetie, seeing your husband acting all protective over his baby's mama."

"Nathan and I are divorced," Haley informed her curtly. "The only joy I get in that is the fact that he still doesn't want you, Rachel. He didn't want you when we were married either. That must suck for you, sweetie, knowing that you're still not good enough."

Brooke couldn't help but grin at seeing her two best friends on the same side for the first time in a long time. "Actually, you're the only one here who Nathan hasn't touched, Rach," Brooke pointed. "That really says something about you."

Rachel opened and shut her mouth a few times as she struggled to come up with another insult before stalking off toward the high school. Brooke, Peyton and Haley erupted into a fit of giggles as the crowd that had formed around them dispersed. "Remind me never to cross any one of you," Lucas announced as he put his left arm around Haley's shoulder and his right one around Brooke's waist. "You girls are lethal."

"Just protecting my man," Peyton said proudly as Nathan caught her in an embrace, his arms around her waist from behind. "Besides, Rachel is a nightmare."

"A total bitch," Haley agreed.

"A skanky slut," Brooke added. "A slutty skank."

The five friends were far from the people that had walked into Tree Hill the previous August, but that suddenly felt okay for the first time in quite some time. Haley would never again be the virginal tutor; she was someone who had unexpectedly fallen in love and gotten divorce in the course of a year because she felt the need to chase her dreams. Lucas would never again be the abandoned son from the wrong side of the track; he was someone who had found a brother and a best friend in the same place and didn't feel the need to apologize for his last name anymore. Brooke would never again be just the snobby cheerleader; she was someone who had fallen in love with herself because she could finally see the girl Lucas saw when he looked at her. Nathan would never again be the guy who put himself before everything; he was someone whose forever had found a new meaning in the wide green eyes of his child's mother. And Peyton would never again be the girl who felt all alone; she was someone who had a family that she might have never planned for but wanted more than anything in the world. They still had a long way to go, but as they walked into the high school still laughing, the odds suddenly didn't feel so insurmountable.


	14. Chapter 14

The rest of the week went by without any further big scenes in front of half the student body. Peyton's morning sickness managed to fall into sync with her class schedule so that she could spend the five-minute break between second and third periods in the bathroom reliving her breakfast. Brooke made sure to keep her locker stocked with saltines, and her father had written a standing note giving her permission to skip class if she started to feel too ill. The school was being surprisingly accommodating, though she suspected a conversation between Deb and the principal ensured that Peyton be treated well. All in all, the school year had gotten off to a decent start, and she was starting to think may be it wasn't going to go all that bad after all.

When the bell rang on Friday afternoon, Peyton couldn't help but sigh with relief as she gathered her books and headed into the bustling corridor. Students laughed all around her as they raced toward their lockers and the front door, happy to have the first full week of school behind of them and two days of freedom in front of them. Peyton was looking forward to spending the night writing her first paper for her music theory class, the one bright spot in her otherwise drab class schedule. She was hoping to get her homework out of the way and turn in early so that she could put in a full day of shopping with Brooke on Saturday.

"Hey, P, are we still on for tomorrow?" Brooke asked as she shifted her bright pink Kate Spade messenger bag from one shoulder to the other. Lucas was at her side, pretending to be bored as the two girls made plans for their day together. Brooke was way too excited about some sale at her favorite boutique, and Peyton was already rattling off a list of albums she needed to pick up for her record collection.

"My dad gave me my monthly allowance early for September, so I have a little extra cash to burn," Peyton said excitedly as she envisioned the music purchases she had been coveting since her last trip to the vinyl shop at the beginning of the month. It was always her first stop when her dad gave her any money. "I heard that they just got in that Cure export I have been looking for."

Brooke rolled her eyes at her best friend's excitement over music. She had always known that Peyton was a lost cause when it came to fashion. The only reason she ever agreed to go shopping with Brooke was because it gave her an excuse to go to the record store. Brooke could justify spending hundreds of dollars on shoes and handbags, but it was beyond her why Peyton needed another record when her shelves were already overflowing with them. Thankfully, she didn't have to listen to the blonde wax poetic about her vinyl addiction too much longer as Nathan joined the group.

"Hey, Boy Toy," Brooke greeted the lanky brunette with a grin. "I heard Tim was having a party. Broody here is going to take me. Are you game?"

Nathan looked over at Peyton. He knew the last thing she wanted to do was spend the night hanging out with loud and drunk teenagers. "I don't know."

"Nate, it's fine if you want to go," Peyton told him as she shoved her notebook into her bag. She was looking forward to some time alone, and if Nathan wanted to spend the night getting drunk, who was she to stop him? "I'm just going to hang out and do some homework. You should go out and have some fun. You probably won't get that many free Friday nights once the season starts anyhow."

He had been looking forward to spending time alone with Peyton all week. She was always so tired when he came by after practice to check on her. They would spend an hour watching television before he had to be home for his curfew. She rarely made it through an entire show without falling asleep on his shoulder. "Peyt, I don't have to go," he offered. "I could pick up some dinner and hang out."

The truth was that Nathan really wanted to do more than just hang out with Peyton tonight. He wanted to be with Peyton. They hadn't been intimate since that one night, and his body was starting to jones for a little action. Other than the two months at High Flyers, he hadn't gone more than a day or two without sex since marrying Haley. The last thing he wanted to do was pressure Peyton, but she was the only woman that he wanted to be with. He knew that he could go to the party and pick up on some random girl, but that would be going back to the old Nathan. It would be easy just to hook up with someone like Rachel.

"It's up to you. It really doesn't matter to me."

He knew that it was irrational to be angry at Peyton, but he was a little irritated that she didn't seem to want to spend time with him. In fact, she didn't seem to care if he went to the party and had too much to drink and reverted back to his old ways. "Fine, I'll just go," he snapped back before stalking off in the direction of the locker room.

"Wow, PMS much?" Brooke giggled as she watched Nathan's retreating back.

"Yeah, what was that about?" Lucas asked. He had definitely picked up on some tension coming from Nathan, though he wasn't really sure why. Peyton seemed calm and totally unaware of any issues before he had made his disappearance. "Did you guys get in a fight or something?"

Peyton looked perplexed. "I don't think so," she replied. "I better go talk to him." Unconsciously resting her hands on her stomach, Peyton shouldered her way through the crowd after Nathan. "Hey, Scott, hold up." Nathan stopped at the end of the hall and waited for her to catch up. "What happened back there?"

"It really doesn't matter to you."

"Wait, are you serious?" she nearly shrieked. "You're pissed because I don't care if you go to the party?"

"You never want to spend time with me, Peyt. I wanted to hang out tonight, just the two of us."

She reached for his hand and squeezed it. "I had no idea, Nathan. I'm just tired all the time. I'd planned on writing my paper and going to bed. I'll go to the party if that's what you want," she offered. The last thing she wanted to do was hang out with Tim and the rest of the Tree Hill elite, but it seemed to really matter to him. "I just don't want you to be mad at me, especially when I don't understand why."

Nathan suddenly felt guilty. "I'm sorry," he murmured as he pulled her to him. Peyton tucked her head under his chin and wrapped her arms around his trunk in a tight embrace. "We just haven't really spent any time together alone this week. I've been busy with practice, and by the time I get to your house, you're exhausted. Since this is the only night I don't have to workout in the next two weeks, I wanted to spend it with you. We don't have to go to the party. I don't even want to go. I just want to get some Thai takeout from that place you love down on Front Street and spend the night watching a movie on your couch. I was thinking that we could have a Vince Vaughn marathon like we did that summer."

Peyton flashed back to that week two summers ago when they had hid out at his parents' beach house for a week in the middle of hurricane season. They'd watched every Vince Vaughn movie ever made and subsided on junk food. It was one of the happiest times in their relationship. She still couldn't watch _Old School_ without remembering how hard Nathan had laughed all the way through it.

"I think that sounds perfect," she smiled as she pulled back. Nathan leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers before capturing her lips in a soft kiss. "We could watch the movies up in my room. My bed is more comfortable anyways."

"Are you asking me to stay over, Sawyer?"

She nodded slowly before tempting him with another kiss. "You've been very patient with me," she murmured suggestively as she ran her hands down his back and slipped them beneath the hem of his shirt. "I know it hasn't been easy, but I promise that it is going to pay off."

"We don't have to…" he insisted, even though the way his body was reacting to her told her that he clearly wanted to. "I mean, if you're not ready…"

"The doctor said it was safe," she reminded him. "I don't really see any reason to wait. I love you and I want to be with you. If we're going to make this something real, something permanent, I want us to have everything. I want to give you everything."

"You know that I'm going to screw this up eventually, right?" he asked her as he peered down at her in utter amazement. He still didn't know he had wound up so lucky to land a girl like Peyton Sawyer. Sometimes he would watch her in class and find himself just so completely in awe. "I've been doing pretty good, but I'm still not perfect, Peyt. I want you to be really sure because I don't think I could stand to let you down."

Peyton reached up and tilted his chin so that their eyes met. "I'm not Haley, Nate," she retorted. "I'm not your dad. I'm not one of your fans or a recruiter. I don't need you to be perfect. Hell, I don't even want you to be perfect. I just want you to be you. If you screw it up, you'll find a way to fix it. If we get in a fight, we'll work it out. You can't be afraid you're going to mess up or hurt me because you'll miss all the good stuff."

"Well, we are at our best when we have our witty banter going on," he acknowledged. Just like that, he had slipped back into that self-assured Nathan Scott that he portrayed to the world. He had allowed her to see his brief bout of self-doubt, but she had been able to wash it away with her reassurances. He believed Peyton when she said that he would find a way to make it right. "Do we really have to wait until we get back to your house? If I remember right, we have always found a way to make very good use of the spacious backseat in your car."

She giggled girlishly as Nathan turned her around and backed her into a dark outcove just out of sight of the hallway. His hands slipped into the back pockets of her jeans as he pressed his center against her core. "Or we could just do it here…" she taunted. Nathan looked at her in shock, his blue eyes wide but hungry. "I was kidding, Nathan. We are not doing this here. You have to wine and dine me a little bit first."

He threaded his fingers into her hair, sliding them through her silky tresses to set her messy ponytail free. "You are such a tease," he complained good-naturedly. He reached down and grabbed her hand, pulling her back into the slowly emptying hallway. "C'mon, let's go home."

It was Peyton who stopped suddenly this time at the end of the corridor. She looked over at him. "What did you just say?"

"Let's go home?"

Peyton thought for a moment. "I like the sound of that. You and me and home."

"You and home are pretty much the same thing to me these days, Sawyer." Sometimes Nathan could still surprise her with sweet words like those. "Did I tell you how hot your ass looks in those jeans yet?" And then he would say something else to remind her what a guy he still was.


	15. Chapter 15

"Son, we need to talk."

Nathan ignored his father as he lined up his jump shot in the driveway and tossed it toward the net. He watched in satisfaction as it swished through the net and bounced off the pavement into the grass. Jogging past his father, he retrieved the ball and started his daily set of free throws. Fifty in a row every day had given him the highest percentage in the league, a ranking he was determined to keep. His father had started the drill with him in junior high, and it had been apart of his life ever since. Peyton used to sit on the tailgate of his truck and watch him, keeping track on the back of whatever concert flyer she could find under her car seat. He wished that she were there now.

"Nathan, I was talking to you," Dan repeated as he stepped in front of the net. He rebounded the ball and passed it back to his son. "I need you to listen to me."

"Not if you're here to talk about Peyton."

Dan shook his head as he rebounded the ball again. Tucking it under his arm, he led his son over to the porch swing so that they could sit down and talk. He had never been one for those father-son conversations that parents on television seemed to be so fond of. Dan seemed to always bully his son into doing what he wanted until Nathan had finally grown a backbone last year. It had taken marrying Haley for him to get to that point, but even since the divorce, he still didn't relent to his father demands.

"The recruiter from North Carolina was very impressed. He is going to come back down in a few weeks to see how you are when you're up against some real competition," Dan told him. "I was thinking about inviting the guys down from Duke that same night. It might get them a little hungrier to try to actively pursue you. I know that they're interested in you, but we need to strike while the iron's hot."

Nathan nodded in agreement with his father. It seemed like a logical plan. "I really want to play at Duke, so I will do whatever it takes," he retorted. "I'd also like to look into UCLA. They have a great program and I know that Peyton was impressed with their music department."

"We are not planning your life around Peyton."

"First of all, I told you that I was not going to talk about her, not like that," Nathan informed his father hotly. They had been going round and round about the blonde's place in Nathan's decisions. "Secondly, I will be planning my life with Peyton in mind because she is going to be a huge part of my future. It's not just me anymore, Dad. I don't know how many times I'm going to have to say it for you to get it. Don't you want me to be the guy that does the right thing? What if you had left Mom and me? I can't do that to my kid."

Contrary to what everyone thought, Dan didn't actually want Nathan to abandon his child. If anything, he wanted Nathan to claim full responsibility for the baby and raise it. Dan just didn't particularly want Peyton be apart of the equation. He knew Peyton's history. She had been through a lot, and he actually admired her strength. However, no matter how much he liked her, he loved his son more. He was afraid that Nathan would build his life around a family that would never really be there. Dan had spent a lot of his life feeling stuck, and he didn't want that for his son. He had worked this hard to give him more than that. Peyton had the power to take away all of Nathan's dreams and break his heart in the process.

"I am not asking you to disregard your child, Nathan," Dan corrected him. He was trying to be calm. Deb had spoken to him at length on the subject and made many not-so-subtle threats. She was intent on making sure that Nathan and Peyton had the support she thought they needed. "I just don't want you to make Peyton more important than you. You shouldn't give it up because you made a mistake."

"You're never going to see it my way, are you?"

"Come on, Nathan, it's not like you're trying to see it from my point of view either. I have the wisdom of experience. I have lived this situation. We both know that I made mistakes. I don't want to see you do the same thing that I did," his father said. "I chose you over your brother. For better or for worse, that is what happened. I have spent the last eighteen years trying to give you the best of everything to make up for that."

Nathan looked at his father in disbelief. "If you know that you made those mistakes, how could you ever ask me to repeat them? I love Peyton and I love this baby. I know that you loved Mom at one point, and even in all the shit you've put me through, I've always known that you loved me, Dad. You might have loved yourself more at times, but I know how important I am to you. I'm just asking you to see that I feel the same way about Peyton and our child."

"I will love this kid because it's yours, Nathan," Dan pledged. "I just want more for you than this."

"But this is my life, Dad," Nathan replied sadly. He just needed his father to see. "It's a good life."

"She is going to break your heart," Dan shook his head. He knew that it was shooting low, but he was grasping at straws. He had to use every weapon in his arsenal to get Nathan to open his eyes. "She already did it once. When you guys were together, she started going to Lucas as soon as things were less than perfect. She fell in love with your brother. Feelings like those just don't go away, do they? We both know that you still care about Haley. What makes you think that she's just over everything already? It's only a matter of time before history repeats itself."

He shot straight off the porch swing and started down the driveway. His first instinct was to throw Dan up against the house, but he had promised his mother that he wouldn't go there after the last time they'd gotten into it. Besides, he was working on staying calm because he couldn't be a very good father with the signature Scott temper coursing through his veins.

"Nathan!"

"No, Dad!" Nathan whirled around. His voice was murderous as he stalked back up the sidewalk and got into his father's face. "This is not last year. I am not that kid you can just boss around. Peyton is not going to go back to Luke. She wouldn't do that to me. He wouldn't do that to me. We have grown up a lot since then. You're not going to put Peyton between Luke and me just to scare me off. You're not going to stir up trouble. I won't let you."

It was a low blow, certainly, but Nathan could see that it was having its intended effect. Nathan was angry, but more importantly, the tiniest seed of doubt had been planted in his mind. No one would have ever believed that Dan felt bad playing this kind of game with his son, but it felt like the only way.

"You won't have to let me, Nate," Dan replied knowingly. He had to see this through. "I won't have to do a thing. Peyton is going to take care of it for me. You just wait. It'll start out slow. You two will get into a fight about something, and she'll turn to Lucas for comfort. She'll just say their friends, and you'll believe her because he's your brother. They would never do that to you, not after what she went through with Brooke. However, all the while, Luke will be prepping to be your kid's father. I guess I shouldn't complain. I'll get to be the grandpa either way."

"How could you say that about your own son?" Nathan questioned his father. Maybe he had been wrong about Dan. Maybe there wasn't a shred of decency left in the bitter, jaded ex-basketball star. Maybe he only had his former glory and secondhand hope left to cling to. It was just really pathetic. "I can't stay here any more and listen to this. I thought that when I came home, you were really going to try to be a better father. Instead, you've sunken to an all-time low. I tried to make this work for Mom, but I'm done. I'm going to stay with Peyton until we figure out something more permanent. I just can't be under your roof anymore."

"You'll come back, Nate, you always do."

Nathan reached down and grabbed his basketball before bounce-passing it back to his father. "Not this time."

Dan watched as Nathan turned away and jogged toward his truck. He knew that his son thought he had the entire world figured out, but life was going to surprise him in many ways in the days and months and years to come. He would be there when Nathan came home again. It could be in twenty minutes or two years, but he knew that his boy would be back.

Nathan was near tears as he drove across town. He didn't want to believe that there was any truth to what his father said, but he knew that he wouldn't be this upset if he didn't believe it at least a little bit. It was true that Lucas had been a catalyst for their relationship the last time around, but all three of them had been different people. Peyton had been looking for someone who would treat her the way that Nathan couldn't at that time. Nathan was insanely jealous of Lucas and for the easy way he had seemed to take on Nathan's life. Lucas had been caught in the middle of all these changes and just wanted a chance to get to know his brother and the blonde that he had secretly loved for two years. It had been a mess and nearly destroyed all three of them. And yet, they had managed to get through last year and end up as good friends. Nathan had to believe that neither Lucas nor Peyton would let it go back to that.

However, all of his confidence was cast aside when he pulled up in front of the Sawyer house and found Lucas' beat-up truck parked by the curb. He tried to tell himself that he had probably stopped by with Brooke or maybe looking for him. He wasn't there alone explicitly to see Peyton. Even if he was, they were just friends. Lucas had moved on with Brooke. Peyton was in love with Nathan. It was nothing. It had to be nothing. God, Nathan really hoped that it was nothing.

He found the front door unlocked as always as he let himself into the living room. He headed up the stairs immediately, moving quietly so that he could surprise them both. Peyton had always been a scaredy cat, and there was nothing Nathan liked more than seeing her jumped. However, as he stepped onto the landing and caught sight of her bedroom, he stopped dead in his tracks at what he saw. Lucas was sitting dangerously close to Peyton on the bed, his arms wrapped around her as he held her. Peyton's forehead was pressed against Lucas' as they gazed at each other in what Nathan could only call adoration. They were speaking to each other in a very quiet voice, so he couldn't hear what was being said. However, he knew that it wasn't just a friendly moment and that it clearly meant something.

Nathan really had no idea what he had walked in on, but he wasn't about to stick around and find out. White rage burned behind his eyes as he took the stairs down two at a time and slammed the front door behind him. He was in his truck in the matter of a few seconds, headed for the first party guaranteed to make him forget what he had just seen. It would only take a not-so-nice date with one of the new freshman cheerleaders and at a bottle of Grey Goose to numb the pain consuming him. His father had been right. Everything had been a mistake.


	16. Chapter 16

While Nathan had been waging war with his father in the Scotts' front yard, Peyton had been holed up at her house for the afternoon, trying to lose herself inside her head. It had been a long and exhausting week, and she just needed to unwind. Her fight with Nathan over the party seemed so silly and immature in retrospect, but she had to remember that it was appropriate for their age. She often felt much older than her seventeen years should allow, and she knew that the feeling wasn't likely to go away anytime soon. With every doctor's appointment and every backward look from one of the gossip hens in Tree Hill, she was reminded of the very adult decisions she had made recently. This was her life now.

She reached over and punched the button on her stereo so that the disc would move on to the next album. She had been in a very dark mood all day and listening to Love and Parade had proven to be just the right soundtrack for the moment. The only thing she needed to keep her happy right now was her sketchpad and her music. The rest of it would just have to work itself out.

A knock on her bedroom door broke her out of her haze. Peyton looked up as a smiling Lucas came into her room. She returned her attention to the pad in her lap. She had no idea what she had set out to draw when she sat down hours ago, but her sketch had quickly turned into a very wishful picture of a happy family, a set of parents that just happened to have her and Nathan's faces. "Hey, what's up?" she asked without looking up at him again. She wasn't in the mood for company. She just wanted to finish shading the corners of Nathan's lips into his signature sly smile.

"Hey, Blondie," Lucas greeted her as he came into her room. He retrieved her desk chair and pulled it up beside her bed. It had been awhile since he had spoken one on one with his friend and former girlfriend. "I need to talk to you about something."

Peyton noted the serious tone in Lucas' voice. Their friendship had hit a rough spot at the end of last year, especially after the turmoil between him and Brooke and Haley and Nathan. She had hung out with him over the summer, but it had mostly been out of boredom on both their parts. It had been awhile since anything truly genuine had existed between them.

"What is it, Luke?" she asked. "Is Brooke okay?"

"Brooke's fine," he promised. "I just left her over at the apartment. She was bossing Haley around while they unpacked. She has a vision, she keeps saying. It mostly looks like a mess right now. Be happy that you can't lift anything heavy."

Peyton giggled as she rested her hands unconsciously on her flat abdomen. She could almost forget that she was pregnant sometimes until some small reminder came along. "I think Nathan would have my head if he caught me lifting anything more than my tea cup,' she confessed. "He's incredibly protective already. He about had a fit when he saw me unloading groceries a couple nights ago."

"I can't believe Nathan is going to be a father," he mused. "Or that you're going to be a mom."

She nodded thoughtfully. She knew that if it was weird for her, it had to be strange for the other people in her life. As much as they all wanted to pretend that everything was fine, she knew that it had been hard on Lucas and Haley. They were both trying to be supportive now, but the strain was still there. "Yeah, we haven't really talked about that, have we?"

"Not really. How are you feeling?"

"Good most days, not so much others," she answered. "Your brother has been pretty incredible. I just wish Dan could back off a little. He's really been on Nate about basketball. I knew that he was going to make it this hard. I just don't want Nathan to think that he is going to have to give anything up to be a father."

"But he is going to have to, Peyt. You can't protect him from that. You have to see it," Lucas retorted. It was naïve to think that Nathan could just have his dreams without having to make a few sacrifices. "He might get to play college ball, but it's not going to be like he planned. He seems to be okay with that. You need to be, too."

Peyton sighed heavily as she leaned back against the stack of pillows. "I just want him to be happy, Luke," she proclaimed. "I love Nathan, and I know that he loves me. I don't want this to cost him anything. He keeps telling me that it isn't, that he's gaining more than he could ever lose. It's just this gut feeling that I have. I don't want him to pull a Dan and hold this against me later."

"Nathan is not Dan."

"I know that."

"Then stop thinking like that, Sawyer," he demanded. "He's not going to leave you. He's not going to be bitter like Dan. He saw what that to his own childhood, to me. He would never put his kid or you through that."

She knew that he was right, but it was hard not to feel at least a little guilty that this had happened. "Are you okay with this?"

"I won't tell you that it's easy because it's not, but it's not like it would have been six months ago. I care about you, Peyt, I always will. But I meant what I said to you this summer, I am in love with your best friend," he pledged. "If you are worried about me, don't. I want to be with Brooke. You won't get any troubles from me."

"Wish I could say the same for Haley…"

"She's been better lately," he defended his best friends. "She's trying, Peyton. Maybe you could give her a break. This isn't easy."

"I am trying to be nice to her, but I still remember the things that she said. I know that it's not easy on her, but it's not easy on any of us."

"She loves him. It's hard to see the person you love with someone else."

"You sound like you know from experience."

"Like I said, I care about you, Peyt. Just because I don't want to be with you doesn't mean that those feelings just went away. You don't suddenly get over the person you've been in love with for two years. Look at you and Nate – did you just get over him?"

She looked down at her sketch. If she had to admit the truth, she knew that she hadn't gotten over Nathan after they'd broken up. Even at her happiest with Jake, those feelings had still been there, buried deep in the darkest confines of her heart. "I don't think I'll ever get over Nathan Scott."

"I think that's how Haley feels, too."

"And you?" she asked. "Is that how you feel?"

"It doesn't matter, Peyton," he answered. It really didn't matter. He might care about her for the rest of their lives, but he would never be with her again. For the first time in a long time, that was really okay with him. His heart belonged to Brooke just like Peyton's belonged to his brother. That was way this was supposed to work out in the first place. "We're where we need to be."

"I'm sorry that I hurt you, Luke," she apologized. "I know that it wasn't just my fault, but I played my role."

He waved his hand dismissively. "Water under the bridge."

She wished that it was easy as that, but it wasn't. This would always be between them, whether they talked about it or not. There would always be a connection that Nathan and Brooke had to ignore because the alternative was just too difficult. She'd always love the older Scott brother in her own way, but it didn't even begin to compare to how she felt about Nathan.

"So, I want to ask you something?"

"What is that, Sawyer?"

"Well, Nathan and I have been talking about baby names. We have something picked out if it's a girl, and he came up with something the other night if it was a boy," she told him.

"And what did you all decide?"

"Durham Sawyer Scott," she replied. "He wants to name him Durham after Whitey, which I actually kind of like. We couldn't really come up with a middle name, so Nathan put my last name in there. I like the sound of it, actually."

Lucas was confused. "Do you want my opinion on the name or something?"

"No, I just wanted you to know what we might name our son or daughter if you should choose to be his godfather. I know that we kind of talked about it awhile ago, at least when Brooke was joking around. Nathan really wants you to be his godfather, and I couldn't agree more. You and Brooke are our best friends, our family. You're his brother, and Brooke is the closest thing to a sister I will ever have. What do you think?"

He lunged out of his chair and wrapped her in a hug. "Of course! Brooke is going to be excited. Oh, God, I can just see the stores she is going to drag me into," he groaned. The truth was that he was actually starting to like holding her handbag while she shopped. It was such a normal couple thing to do. "Seriously, thank you, Peyton. I would be honored."

"Nathan is going to ask Brooke," she revealed. "It was his idea to do it this way. He thought it might mean even more to her coming from him. I honestly don't think she cares where it is coming from."

"No, it'll matter to her," he reassured Peyton. "You know that the two of them have always had a strong friendship."

"Can you imagine how different our lives would be if she had been the one with Nathan?"

"I try not to think about it," Luke shivered as he flopped onto the bed across from her. All of the tension was gone between them, and it felt just like two old friends hanging out. However, he did notice when she stopped talking and her eyes got distant. "Where you at, Blondie?"

"Just thinking about my mom."

"You must really be missing her."

"You have no idea, Luke. It's hard. Deb has been so great about everything, but it's not the same thing as having my own mom. I wish she could be here. She should get to be here for it, you know? She should get to be a grandmother. I don't want my kid to grow up with the family that Nathan and I both missed out on."

He moved closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. Peyton buried her face in his chest as she allowed the tears to come. "Damn hormones," she muttered under her breath. Lucas laughed at her as he smoothed her hair, doing his best to soothe the shaken girl in his arms.

"Your baby is going to have an amazing family, Peyt," he avowed. "I'm here to make sure that happens." He pulled back to gaze into her eyes, hoping that she believed his promise. She responded by pressing her forehead to his and squeezing her eyes tightly closed.

It was at that precise moment that Nathan walked into her room unannounced. Peyton pulled away from Lucas as she heard him sprint down the stairs and slam the door. She started after him but tripped halfway down the staircase, tumbling the rest of the way down until she was sprawled out in the entryway. Lucas was right behind her, screaming her name as he watched her fall in front of him. She was completely passed out when eh reached the bottom step. He screamed her name repeatedly as his shaking hands dialed 911 on his cell phone.

"Nine-one-one, what is your emergency?"

"My friend just fell down the stairs. She's unconscious," he told the operator. "She's pregnant. I think…I think she's losing the baby."


	17. Chapter 17

The bass line in the song was pumping so loudly when Nathan showed up at the party at Tim's house that he could literally feel the ground vibrating as he jumped out of his truck. He scanned the crowd outside the spacious beach house, nodding at his teammates as he made his way to toward the keg. There were a few nameless cheerleaders milling around the players, much like groupies waiting for a turn in the back of a tour bus after a concert. Nathan considered a perky blonde handing out red cups for a moment before shaking his head. He had already had enough of blondes for today. He needed something different, a completely new flavor to help him completely forget what he'd seen minutes before in Peyton's bedroom. A plan of sweet revenge started to form in his mind as his eyes fell on a certain a familiar curvaceous brunette,

"Hey, Davis."

"Hey, Superstar!" she said excitedly, throwing her arms around her old friend. She was just happy to see someone else she knew at this party. There were people from three high schools at the party, and everyone seemed to know Brooke Davis. The only problem was that she never bothered to learn anyone's names. "Where's Peyton? I thought she might come here with you. I was supposed to meet Lucas, but he hasn't shown up."

"Funny you mention that," he grumbled as he averted his eyes away from Brooke for a moment. He was angry, but he wasn't sure that he was angry enough to break the cheerleader's heart. She had already been through this once with Peyton and Lucas. It sucked that he was going to have to tell her, but she shouldn't have to learn it from someone else. Besides, if anyone was going to understand his need to get wrecked, it would be Brooke. "Can we go somewhere quieter? I need to tell you something."

Brooke looped her arm through Nathan's and led him to the backyard. There were a few people hanging out near the pool house, but for the most part, the area was surprisingly sparse. Once they had settled onto a hammock in a corner of the yard, she looked over at her longtime friend curiously. "Spill it, Scott."

"I wish I didn't have to tell you, but I feel like you should hear it from me," he warned her. Her eyes widened with fear. Nathan hated that he was going to have to be the one to disappoint her yet again, but she deserved the truth. "I stopped by Peyton's earlier to see her before I came out. I thought she might feel like getting out of the house or something. Anyhow, when I got there, I saw Luke's car out front. I didn't think anything of it, but when I went upstairs to her room, I found them on the bed together. He was holding her. I'm not really sure what I walked in on, but I know that it was something."

She felt her stomach drop to her toes as she imagined the scenario. Apart of her wanted to believe that Lucas wouldn't do that to her, not after what they had gone through. However, she still remembered the fearless way he had loved her best friend. She couldn't remember the way she had found out the last time and how long it had taken her to get over Lucas. It had taken her nearly as long to forgive Peyton.

"They wouldn't do that to me," she insisted vainly. She could tell by her own feeble tone that she didn't even believe me. "Not after the last time, Nate. They promised. Both of them."

Nathan shrugged unapologetically. "I saw them, Brooke. As much as I want to believe that my brother wouldn't do that to me, he's already done it once before. He's done it to both of us. Luke loved Peyton long before you and me came along. Feelings like those don't just go away. Look at how I feel about Peyt, how you feel about Luke. Maybe that stuff is still there…"

She shook her head again, refusing to acknowledge the nagging truth she felt in the pit of her stomach. "Peyton loves you, Nate. She's excited about the baby. Even if Luke still has feelings for her, she promised me that she was over him. She wouldn't lie to me," she argued. "They were probably just talking about the baby or something."

"Luke had his arms around her, and they were looking in each other's eyes. You and I have been friends for a long time, Brooke, and I never look at you that way. Even when we hooked up that one time, it wasn't anything like that."

Brooke knew that there really was no comparing her situation with Nathan to Peyton's with Lucas. There had been a love between the two blondes before, while the pair of brunettes had never had anything more than a fleeting sexual chemistry. "What did you say to them?"

"Nothing, I just turned and ran. I didn't know what to say, I just knew that I couldn't stay there. I couldn't see straight. I just got in my truck and drove."

"To the party to get sloshed," Brooke replied knowingly. It was exactly what she would do if she had walked in on the situation. Even if it was innocent, nothing could appear so given Peyton and Lucas' history. "So which girl were you going to hook up with?"

"The only one who wouldn't expect anything in the morning," he suggested as he winked at her. Brooke smiled despite herself as she jabbed him in the ribs. "Okay, so, that was my plan before I got here, and even when I saw you, I thought that I'd hook up with you to get back at them. Then I remembered that you were my friend too, and that wouldn't be fair to you."

"Nate, it could be nothing."

"It could be, but it didn't feel like nothing. Even if they together, there is still stuff there, Brooke. I saw how Lucas was looking at her. I can feel it in my bones. Something is wrong."

Just as Nathan had finished saying that, his cell phone started to ring from inside his pocket. He slid out the phone and checked the screen. Of course it was Lucas. He considered sending his brother to voicemail, but something stopped him. He showed the screen to Brooke, who grimaced angrily at his name flashing in front of her. She snatched the phone away and punched the connect button angrily. "I can't believe you!"

"Brooke?" Lucas asked confusedly. "Did I call the wrong number? I was trying to get Nate."

"You got his phone. I'm with him. He's right beside me," she purred suggestively.

"Put him on the phone."

Lucas didn't even sound angry. "Why? Don't want to talk to your girlfriend?"

"Dammit, Brooke, I don't have time for this," he demanded. "Give the phone to Nate."

She rolled her eyes as she threw the phone to Nathan. "It's your asshole brother."

"What do you want?"

"It's Peyton."

"What about her? Did she finally realize I never showed up?"

"No, she saw you, Nathan, right before she fell down the stairs," Lucas informed his brother. He was tucked in the back of the ambulance, watching as a pair of paramedics worked frantically to get Peyton stabilized. "She's been unconscious for ten minutes. We're on our way to the hospital. Meet us there."

Nathan's face went white as he clutched the phone tightly in his hands. "What happened, Luke? Is Peyton breathing?"

"I don't know," he answered shortly. "Just meet us there." The line went dead as Nathan leapt off the hammock and started across the backyard. Brooke was hot on his heals after figuring out what was going on from Nathan's side of the conversation. Neither of them said a word as they jumped into his truck and tore off down the street. "She has to be okay. They have to be okay."

"Peyton's a fighter. Everything is going to be okay."

He knew that he should have that much faith, but he just couldn't find it right now. He had been so angry at her only a few minutes before, and now, he just needed her to be okay. Nathan would give anything to go back a half hour and just stay. He should have said something, asked what was going on. He should have never stormed out the house so that she had to chase after him. He hadn't even known that she'd seen him. He'd never heard her call his name.

"I love her, Brooke."

"I know you do," she murmured as she slid across the seat and wrapped her arm around her friend. Other than Larry, there was no one who loved Peyton as much as Brooke. They were family in everyway that mattered. "Our girl is going to be fine. She just needs you to get there."

After two more red lights and a few left turns, Nathan pulled his car into the parking lot outside the emergency room and rushed into the hospital. He found Lucas standing at the counter, trying to answer questions for a nurse that couldn't seem to understand him through his ragged breathing and tearful answers.

"Where is Peyt?"

"She's back there. They wouldn't let me go with her," Lucas answered as he stepped away from the desk. He rested his hands on the back of his head as he paced a few steps. "I called Larry. He's going to get back into the harbor as soon as he can. He needs to be here because I don't know all the answers to these questions."

"I can answer them," Brooke said confidently as she shouldered past her boyfriend to deal with the nurse. "I'm Peyton's best friend."

Nathan guided Lucas away from the desk to get some answers of his own. "What happened?"

"She saw you and knew that you got the wrong idea. She screamed your name, and when you didn't answer you, she started down the stairs after you. She must have tripped because the next thing I knew, she was passed out at the foot of the stairs. I tried to get her to wake up but she was unresponsive. Look, Nate, what you saw…"

"It doesn't matter."

"It was nothing."

"I don't care, Luke," Nathan shook his head. "I honestly don't give a damn about why you were there holding my girlfriend right now. I just need to know that Peyton and our child are going to be alright. I'll deal with you later."

Brooke returned to Nathan's side. "The nurse said it will be awhile before we know anything." He shook his head and allowed her to lead him over to the chairs. He wanted to pound his hands on the counter and shake a doctor to get the answers he needed. However, he knew that would only get him kicked out of the hospital. Brooke took his hand and clutched it tightly while they sat there. "She's still unconscious. They're working to stabilize her so they can set up a fetal monitor. The nurse said there is some internal bleeding."

"Oh, God," Nathan choked. "We were just here a month ago when I found out I was going to be a father. Now I'm waiting to find out of if I'm going to lose my child."

Brooke turned and looked straight into his eyes. "We are not going to lose her."

The three of them sat there together for two hours without word before Larry finally made it to the hospital. He was still dressed in his sea garb when he came running into the ER. He sought out Brooke immediately, wrapping the brunette tightly in his arms while he listened to her catch him up. Larry headed to the desk alone for the latest update for the nurse on duty. When he returned to the waiting area without any real news, Nathan knew immediately that something was off. He asked for a minute alone with Larry, leaving Lucas and Brooke to wait for any further news.

"What aren't you telling me?"

Larry brushed his hand over his face, looking much older than he had the last time Nathan had seen him a few weeks before. "They finally managed to get her stabilized, but Peyton has lost a lot of blood. They need to do surgery to try to stop the internal bleeding, but it requires a big risk to the baby. I have five minutes to give my permission to operate."

"And you're leaving it up to me," Nathan realized. "Larry, she's your daughter."

"We're talking about your child," he shook his head. "Peyton would want you to decide."

Nathan thought about his words to Brooke earlier, about how he was waiting to find out if his child would live or die. He knew that Peyton might not agree with his choice, but it was a risk he was going to have to take. "Save Peyton first."

"Are you sure?"

"Please, just tell them to do everything they can to keep them both safe, but if it comes down to having to choose, I want Peyton to be put first," he assured Larry.

Larry cupped Nathan's shoulder and thanked him for making a decision that he couldn't make. He couldn't be the one to tell the doctor to forsake his grandchild to save his daughter. It was a choice that no one should ever have to make. "Thank you, Son."

Nathan watched as Larry went over to speak with a doctor. The older man handed Peyton's father a clipboard. He didn't need to be there to know that the surgeon was going over the risks and getting legal consent. He didn't need to be there to know that one signature could mean the difference between losing both of them or saving Peyton.


	18. Chapter 18

"God, Peyt, look at you."

Nathan didn't expect a response when he whispered those words into the dim hospital room, the only light coming from the slightly parted vertical blinds along the south wall of the room. Peyton looked so small and fragile in the big bed, with all the tubes and monitors attached to her body. He watched as the numbers ticked by on her heart monitor and then on the fetal monitor. He knew what rates to be watching for and what sounds indicated bad news. The doctors had gone over all of it with him and Larry over the last several hours while they waited for Peyton to wake up after surgery. Twelve hours later, they were still waiting.

He would give anything right now for her to open those big green eyes and smile at him. It didn't matter if she screamed at him for running out on her. The doctors had told them that the next twenty-four hours were critical and that they wouldn't know anything more until she woke up. For now, both she and the baby were in stable condition, but Peyton was in a coma. They had managed to stop the bleeding, but they really had no idea the extent of brain damage she could have incurred in the fall. A neurologist had performed a scan earlier and was reviewing the results. Larry was meeting with the surgeon now, but Nathan couldn't seem to leave Peyton's side.

Moving slowly from the doorway, he wasn't really sure what he was supposed to do. He had never really been good at all that emotional stuff, but he had started to find his way as he became more comfortable in his newfound role as a father. It was important to him that he be more available to his child than Dan had been. He wanted to extend that same emotional honesty to Peyton, the golden girl who had won his heart. As he sat down and took her limp but warm hand into his, he prayed that he could find the right words to tell her everything he wanted her to hear.

"I almost made the biggest mistake of my life tonight," he confessed. "I realize that I am probably going to have to repeat all of this to you later, and we might even fight about it. But when I walked in on you and Lucas, I was heartbroken. I couldn't see past the moment, and the only thing on my mind was making you hurt as much as I was. If I had known you would run after me…this isn't what I had in mind, Peyt. I am so sorry that I didn't stay. I should have stayed. I will always stay."

He brought her hand up to his lips and pressed a kiss of promise to her fingertips. He waited for a moment, hoping for even the slightest response. "There are so many people out there pulling for you, baby, you have no idea," he murmured. "The doctor said that the baby is doing well. He or she is a fighter just like its mommy. He said that there was a lot of movement. I think it's a boy now. I know what I said about it being a girl and all, but he might just prove to be a power forward yet. Although, I guess it could still be a girl. I mean, she could still have a killer jump shot. Just don't think she is going to use that amazing vertical to do herkies or anything. She's a player, not a cheerleader."

"I've been thinking a lot about us lately, Peyt. I used to think that Haley was my always and forever, right? Well, we both know that I was wrong about that," Nathan continued. "Maybe you are my always and forever. Except I think that we should have our own thing. I'm not really sure what that is yet. You were always the artist when it came to us, anyhow. I bet you have the perfect song lyric in that pretty head of yours, just the right line to sum up how we feel about each other. I wish I had the words that could even begin to describe how I feel when I look at you. All I really have is that I love you."

"Now, I know what you're thinking, that's enough. Well, Sawyer, I'm here to tell you, it's really not. I mean, have you met you?" he smiled. He could almost imagine the self-deprecating way she would blush at his compliment, insisting that she was far from the wonderful woman he saw her as. "I might not have those perfect words, and the fact that I love you is still not quite enough. So, I kind of had my mom bring this CD to me. I know that it's not exactly my usual type of music, but I think you would like this song. And if not, well, learn to love it because it's the song that reminds me of you. It's all those perfect words I wish I had."

Slipping the case from his back pocket, Nathan went over to the small stereo in the corner of the room. The hospital hadn't had one in there when they'd assigned Peyton to the room, but both Larry and Nathan had insisted that they find one. If there was anything that would get through to Peyton, they knew that it was music. Nathan punched the button to open the CD tray and slid the shiny disc into place. Then, with the simple press of a button, Dan Wilson flooded the room.

Nathan returned to his seat and resumed holding her hand. "I think I might have heard you play this song before, I'm not sure. I have to admit that I don't know where I heard it for the first time. I always just attribute it to you. You have this unique way of opening my eyes up to things I never knew that I would love, kind of like sushi and Clark Gable movies. And I swear if you tell anyone that I let you talk me into watching those black and white movies…" His voice trailed off as he choked on a sob, not wanting to finish the sentence. He might not ever get to make good on his promise to tickle her until she starts crying from laughing so hard. "Anyhow, I'm going to stop talking now and just sit here with you while we listen to the song. We can pretend we're lying on your bed in the dark."

The slow and heartfelt of "All Kinds" became the only sound in the room. _One life is all we ever get and all we ever give up for it in return is all of the ones we might have been, just one kind of beautiful each in our turn._ That line alone was enough to set off a steady flow of tears. Nathan cried unabashedly as he buried his face in Peyton's stomach, his ear pressed against her womb. His hand rested on her heart, counting the beats in his head, knowing that it was his lone reassurance that she was still there with him.

His tears soon turned into full-blown sobbing, so loud that nurses could hear it up the loud. Nathan didn't care if anyone heard him, as long as no one asked him to be quiet. He knew that he was already on the edge, and it wouldn't take much to make him lose it. The Scott blood in him made him want to snap at someone – anyone – so that he could make sense of this. He wanted to blame Lucas for being there. He wanted to blame his father for putting those thoughts in his head. He wanted to blame Haley for everything that had gone wrong so long ago. Most of all, he wanted to blame himself for believing his father, for not trusting Lucas and for not fully letting go of Haley before now. Tonight would change all of that, he promised himself. He would find a way to make amends with Lucas and Peyton's friendship. He wouldn't let his father get inside his head. He would tell Peyton that she was the only girl he wanted to hold for the rest of his life and even longer.

"This line right here, Peyt," he managed through the tears as Dan Wilson continued to provide the perfect background ambiance_. You're the proof of when they say you never know what's gonna be._ That was the lyric that summed it all up for him. "That's how I feel. I never could have imagined you or all of this that you have brought to my life. You have to wake up so we can still have it. You have to come back to me so that we don't lose it. You have to wake up, you hear me? You have to wake up. You have to wake up!"

Nathan felt a pair of arms embrace him from behind. He was so weak and fragile that he couldn't even bring himself to look at who it was. He didn't want anyone to see him like this. "Nathan, honey, I'm here, it's okay," he heard his mother murmur from behind him. Nathan pulled away from Peyton and turned around to fall into Deb's arms. The blonde stroked her son's hair gently, giving him a comfort that only a mother could provide. "That's it, let it all out."

"Mom, she's still not awake," he muttered against her shoulder. He clung tightly to her thick sweater, looking for any comfort that he could find. "It's been so long. Why won't she just wake up? She has to come back to me."

"Nate, she is going to come back to you," his mother promised. "Don't ask me how I know, I just do. Call it a mother's tuition if you want, but Peyton is not going anywhere. She's just tired right now, and this is her body's way of letting her rest. She's a fighter. She is not going to leave you now."

He looked over his mother's shoulder at Peyton's sleeping form. "The only thing that is of any comfort right now is the fact that the baby is okay. Larry is talking to the doctors right now about her. We still don't know so much. They keep saying we have to wait until she wakes up. They want her to wake up so they can find out what's wrong with her. I just want her to wake up so I can have her back."

"You just have to be patient, Nathan. I know it sucks but that's all you can really do. You can't sit here, you'll go crazy. Why don't you come down to the lobby for a little bit while Brooke visits with her best friend? You haven't eaten anything in hours. You're going to need your strength if you're going to hold vigil at her bedside all night."

"I don't want to leave her."

"I know you don't, but there are a lot of people out there who love Peyton," she pointed out. "Haley is out there and Lucas and Karen. Mouth and Skills just got here with Bevin, and there are a few other girls from the cheerleading squad. Even Tim is here, honey. They're all to see her."

"She might wake up while I'm gone…"

"She's not going to wake up unless you're here, and even if she does, you're going to be the first person she wants to see," Deb promised. "Come on, just for a few minutes. Brooke really wants to see her."

The only person other than Larry that Nathan would give up his place at her bedside for was Brooke. Peyton would want her best friend there. "Fine, I'll eat a sandwich while Brooke visits with her, but as soon as she is done, I'm right back in here."

"That's fine. You just need a break."

While he wanted to tell her that he didn't need a break, even Nathan could admit that his nerves were shot. He followed his mother down the hallway and into the private waiting room the doctors had set up for Peyton's family. Nathan was met by his friends, hopeful smiles pasted on their face. Bevin was the first to reach him, throwing her arms around him tightly while she murmured her platitudes. Guys from the team were right behind her, all offering their support. Nathan avoided Lucas as he came over to Brooke. He reached up and wiped away a tear from her red-rimmed eyes. "You can go in."

"Thanks, Nate," she whispered before leaning up on her tiptoes to hug him and whisper something in his ear. "I'm kind of scared."

He smiled at her slightly and nodded. "It's okay, me too."

"You won't tell anyone, will you?" she joked. It was what they did when things got hard. Brooke and Nathan always looked for a way to lighten it up just a little to get through it. "I have my reputation to protect."

"Just wait until Peyton hears that you cried over her."

"Yeah, because you've totally held it together," she rolled her eyes before hugging him again. "Our girl is going to come back to us, you know that, right? Peyton won't leave us, Nate. She wouldn't do that."

"Absolutely not," he agreed. "Besides, she's probably worried what you'd try to do if you finally had your shot at me."

Brooke shook her head and started down the hallway. Just before she turned the corner, she turned back and looked at Nathan. A mutual look of understanding passed between them. They had to hope that she would be okay because she mattered that much to both of them. Neither Brooke nor Nathan knew what they would do in a life where there was no Peyton. "Thanks for making me smile."

"Thanks for letting me love your best friend."

Once Brooke was gone, Nathan slipped away from the rest of his friends into a chair in the corner. His mother brought over a turkey club sandwich and a bottle of water before leaving him alone with his thoughts. She could read her son like a book, and it was clear that he didn't want anyone to dote over him or ask him to talk about Peyton. He just wanted the silence so he could hear the song that was still playing in his head.

_You've got the kind of beautiful, makes the boys want to give up running all around..._


	19. Chapter 19

Peyton hated the darkness. She had been stuck in this holding pattern for more than a day, trying fruitlessly to emerge from the deep abyss she had found herself in after the fall. It had been silent and lonely at first, completely devoid of any true emotions other than overwhelming fear. Her mind wasn't sure what was happening to her, but something deep inside of her told her that she should be afraid. It was only when the voices had come that she had realized that something was holding her under.

The first memory she had in her comatose state was a bright light shining over her head. She could make out just enough to understand that she was in surgery. There was no pain, only an unsettling numbness as she listened to the doctor talk about her in scientific and unattached terms. She could figure out enough to know that she was in trouble. It was only when they mentioned the baby that she became truly concerned. She waited and waited for answers, but they never came. The surgeon simply finished up his work and told his team to take her back to her room.

The next time Peyton was really aware of what was going on was when she heard Nathan's voice. He was sullen and sad, his tone full of grief and regret. She could feel him clutching her hand tightly and the coolness of his wet tears falling onto her wrist. She could feel his head pressed against her side, his hand resting on her abdomen, his breath against her skin. She could feel the desperation that was apparent in his every word. She could feel herself fighting to come back to him with each of his pleas. She could feel herself failing to succeed.

Her body was clearly tired from the struggling. She heard Deb tell Nathan that this was just her way of resting, that she needed to do this before she could come back to him. Peyton wanted to wake up and scream at the blonde, insist that she was wrong and that she would never willingly be away from Nathan. She knew that he was feeling guilty for causing this, but it wasn't his fault. It was just something that had happened. It was a horrible accident. Peyton had tried for a long time to assign blame to the random acts that happened in life, but she now realized that sometimes bad things just happen. She wanted more than anything to tell him that this wasn't his fault. Maybe she shouldn't have been with Lucas on the bed or should have been more careful on the stairs. Maybe he should have waited to hear her out or shouldn't haven jumped to conclusions. Those things didn't matter. All that mattered was that she was going to come back to him.

However, it would be some time before she would be able to tell him any of these things. He had pressed a promising kiss to her palm before he had left reluctantly with his mother. Peyton felt alone again. She wished that she could find the voice to scream at him and beg him not to go. She hated being trapped inside her body and inside her mind, but it became bearable when Nathan was there. Unlike the parade of doctors and nurses that came in and out of her room, he cared about whether she lived or not. She wasn't just another patient, another chart, another statistic. She was his life.

Her loneliness was only temporary, however, as she heard Brooke's soft voice talking to her from a distance. She felt her warm little fingers wrap around Peyton's limp ones as she implored her best friend to come back. "P. Sawyer, I know that you can here me right now, and we need you to come back. You and Nathan and me were a family long before any of this happened. We don't do so well when you're not around," Brooke wept softly. "He's a mess, Peyt. He has barely left your side. He hasn't slept or eaten or anything since you lost consciousness. The only time he leaves your room is when the doctor kicks him out. Nate needs you, Best Friend. I need you. Your dad needs you. Stop being stubborn! You've proven your point. Just come home."

"Nate isn't talking to anyone but your dad and me. Deb finally managed to get him out of the room so that I could come talk to you. He has isolated himself from everyone but you. You and this baby are all that matter to him. He's blaming himself. I want to blame him too because then maybe this would make sense. But I can't. You wouldn't want that, and it's not really his fault. Why did you have to run after him? You know how clumsy you can be. I know you weren't thinking, though, were you? You just had to get to him. He would have done the same thing."

Brooke's voice faded out for a moment as someone else came into the room. Peyton struggled to hear, clinging to the shred of connection she had with Brooke in a vain hope that it could be her salvation. "Hey, Pretty Girl, I'm not really supposed to be back here, but I had to see how you both were." _Lucas._ "Hey, Peyton, you're giving us all a pretty big stare. How many times has this situation been reversed? How many times have you and Brooke sat at my bedside and begged me to wake up? I never realized how hard it has to be on you both. There are a whole bunch of us here fighting for you…"

"Luke, you shouldn't be back here."

"Brooke, she's my friend, too."

"I know that," Brooke soothed him. "Look, I'm usually all about breaking the rules, but I am not going to risk seeing Peyton just so you can be back here. The doctors only want one person back here at a time, and right now, that person is me. Nathan only left her side so that I could see her. I know that you're worried and that you care about her. It's just that I know she would want Nate here. She'd want her dad and me. I won't let you risk taking that away from the rest of us. You have to go."

"When is it going to be my time?"

Brooke shrugged. "I know it's not fair, but whenever Nathan says it is. Think if the situation were reversed. You wouldn't want to leave me."

Not so long ago, it would have been Lucas that Peyton would have wanted at her side. She would be furious at her best friend for banishing the blonde. However, in the weeks that had passed since she had fallen out of love with Lucas and with Jake and in love with Nathan, all of that had changed. She wanted – needed – Nathan by her side.

"C'mon, why don't we leave together?" Brooke offered finally. "I said what I came to say. Peyton knows that we love her. There's nothing we can do sitting with her. We're not going to be the ones to bring her back. Nathan is who she needs. He's the one who is going to bring her back to us, to all of us. It's what we have to believe."

It was romanticized wishful thinking, but Peyton could tell that her best friend truly meant every word that she said. Peyton was comforted by the unity in their departing voices, knowing that Lucas was there to hold her best friend together while she was gone. She couldn't focus on Brooke as she had in the past. All of her energy was being harnessed on coming back to Nathan.

"Hey, babe," she heard his voice say as if on cue. He sounded a little better than he had when he had left her after talking to Deb. "Sorry that I was gone for so long, but Brooke needed to see you. I'm probably going to have to leave in a little bit when your dad gets back. I finally managed to convince him to go home and take a nap. They all wanted me to leave too, but I just couldn't go. I needed to be here with you and the baby. It's the only way either of us is going to make it through this."

"I know that Luke was back here. It's not that I'm mad at him, I swear. It's just that I don't want him to see you, not like this," he reasoned aloud. "I know it's not fair to ask him to stay away when he cares about you just as much as we all do. I just want to protect you. Well, that's not completely honest. Besides the fact that I don't want to leave your side, I don't want him to be the one you wake up to. He can't be the reason that you come back. I need to be that person. I have to be.'

"A better man than me wouldn't care what brought you back. Someone like Lucas would say that it didn't matter as long as you woke up. I'm not that guy. I never was," he laughed humorlessly. "Sometimes I see a glimmer of him in myself when I'm with you, but I'm still the same arrogant, jealous ass that chased you away last year. I just love you so damn much, Peyt. I can't lose that. Not to him, not to anyone. I know that I won't now. I get that. I finally understand everything you tried to tell me last year when you promised me that I was the one. I was such a moron. I may never be the guy who could be okay with you waking up to someone else, but I will always be the guy who needs you to come back to me."

Hearing his soulful confession made Peyton fight even harder to emerge from the darkness. She could feel herself floating there, right below the surface as she tried to reach for the light. "I'm right here, Peyt. I'll stay here all night and tomorrow and the next day. I'll stay here as long as it takes you to come back because I know that you will. I don't care what those doctors say. They don't know you. _I know you_. I know what this baby means to you. I know how much you want this second chance with me to be a family."

Nathan reached up and stroked her curls, tucking one golden ringlet behind her ear before cupping her cheek. She looked like the living embodiment of Sleeping Beauty, as if his kiss was all it would take to wake her from a hundred years of deep slumber. "I'll make you a deal, Sawyer," he bargained as he reached for the remote beside her bed to flip on the stereo. Elliot Smith filled her room. "We'll just sit here for a little bit and listen to the music. We'll get that rest everyone keeps telling me that you need so we can gather our strength. Then, we are going to fight. We're going to fight together until you wake up. When you feel like you can't fight anymore, you can just lean on me. I'll keep fighting for you. I will be your strength. All you have to do is find enough to come back. Leave the darkness behind."

With those words, Nathan felt her hand twitch very slightly in his. He looked down at their clasped fingers and then back up at her in awe. "Peyt?" he called out frantically, his voice both scared and hopeful. "Babe? C'mon, baby girl, I know you can hear me. Just keep fighting." Peyton held onto those words as she tried to emerge from the haze. She could feel the coma slipping away, giving way to the light as she became increasingly conscious. "You're almost there, babe, I can feel you coming back to me."

Peyton's surgeon and a nurse watched silently from the doorway. They had come to take the young woman for her latest round of tests when they'd happened upon Nathan's one-sided conversation. The surgeon had been about to interrupt him when the nurse had held him back. She just had a gut feeling that this was the breakthrough her patient needed. With one eye fixed on the spiking brain activity chart and the other on the young man coaxing his girlfriend back from the edge, she said her millionth prayer for the day. If anyone deserved a miracle, it was this couple. They were at the beginning of a brand new life, one that had already seen too much darkness with this horrific accident.

Then, she saw the young woman's hand move again. The doctor and nurse both let out a sigh of relief as the brunette man leapt to his feet and rained kisses over the blonde's face. Her eyes were still shut, but she was clearly there. "I love you so much," he repeated over and over again. The blonde was weak but she managed to sit up just enough to wrap her arms around the young man as he started to cry. The two teenagers clung to each other like their lives depended on it, and if what the nurse had just witnessed was any indication, they probably did. "You need a doctor."

"No, Nate," she said hoarsely, "what I needed was you."


	20. Chapter 20

Shortly after waking up, Peyton was rushed off to a private laboratory for hours of testing. With both her health and the baby's to consider, the surgeon and her obstetrician were determined to find out everything they could now that she was awake. Nathan had returned to the waiting room to let everyone know that she was awake only after placing a private call to Larry in Peyton's room. Her father had been relieved and overjoyed at the good news, promising to be back at the hospital before her tests were through. Once he had gone in to tell his friends, Nathan had pulled Brooke and Lucas to the side to tell them privately first. Brooke had cried in Lucas' arms before pulling away to hug her friend tightly. The two brothers exchanged a relieved smile before heading in to let the rest of the clique know the latest update.

"When is she going to get out, I want to see her," Brooke whined as she bounced her left knee anxiously from her seat between Nathan and Lucas. Nathan had promised her that she could go in first with Larry once Peyton got finished with her tests. He had already gotten to see her, and he knew that his girlfriend would want to see her best friend.

"I'm sure that they're doing everything they can to hurry this along," Lucas soothed her, resting his hand on her thigh to still her. She smiled up at her boyfriend gratefully before leaning back in her seat. "Nate, I'd like to see Peyton when she gets out. Do you think it would be alright?"

Nathan nodded. He had a lot of time to think about things. He knew that it wasn't fair to keep Lucas away, and it wasn't even what he really wanted. Lucas and Peyton deserved to have the friendship they'd worked so hard to save. He was just scared, that was all. Even if he was fully confident in their love, a part of him would always be afraid of losing her. It's just how it was when you had something worth so much. "I know that she would like to see you. You should go in as soon as Brooke and Larry come out."

"Are you sure? I mean, I know Peyt would want you in there with her…"

"I'm sure," Nathan confirmed to his brother as the surgeon came out with Larry. Nathan stood up and walked over to where they were with Lucas and Brooke in toe. "How's she doing?"

"Peyton is resting in her room," Larry answered. "I actually thought I'd come out here and see if Brooke wants to go see her. Nathan and I need to talk to the doctor for a minute."

Brooke furrowed her brow at the older man. "Should I be concerned?"

"You should just go be with your best friend," Larry assured her. "Go on back, she's waiting for you."

With a hopeful smile, Brooke headed into the ICU ward. Nathan turned immediately to the doctors. He knew that something was wrong and that Larry had lied to Brooke to keep her calm. "What's wrong with Peyt? Is it the baby?"

"Peyton sustained quite a bit of trauma in the fall. While it appears that her brain activity has returned to normal, we are looking at quite a lengthy rehabilitation period. We are going to have to monitor her and the baby for at least the next forty-eight hours before we can make any real decisions about her treatment. I need to see how she reacts to medications and what the baby's response is like."

Nathan brushed his hands over his face exhausted. He was tired of waiting, but it seemed like it was all there was to do. "I don't care what you have to do, just do it," he said softly. "Do what you have to do to keep both of them alive."

Meanwhile, Brooke was a ball of energy as she came tumbling into Peyton's room. The blonde was sitting up with her eyes closed, allowing the comforting melodies of Death Cab for Cutie to wash over. It was the first thing she had asked for when they'd come back after the tests. She was proud of Nathan for making sure that her room was stocked with all her musical favorites and even a few of his.

"Hi."

Peyton's eyes flew open at her best friend's shy greeting. "Brooke!" Peyton whispered as loudly as she could as the bouncy brunette bounded over and sat on the edge of her bed. Making sure to be careful of the wires attached all over Peyton's arms, she leaned forward as best as she could to hug her tightly. "How's Nathan doing?"

"You just fell down the stairs and fell into a coma, and you're asking me how Nathan is?"

"Yeah," Peyton smiled sheepishly. "How is he?"

"Better now that you're awake."

"Brooke, I'm sorry. Lucas and I were just talking. It was nothing."

"P. Sawyer, I honestly don't care what you and Luke were doing anymore," she confessed. I'm just happy that you're okay. We were so scared. Nate was a wreck. He wouldn't leave your side."

"I know, the nurses told me," she murmured as she rested her hands on her stomach. "They also told me that the baby was okay. I guess they weren't exactly sure there for awhile. My dad told me that Nathan chose me over the baby. Apart of me was furious at first, but another part of me was relieved. He really loves me, Brooke, you know? I thought I knew before this, but I had no idea. I had no clue about so much."

Brooke reached for her best friend's hand and squeezed it. "You are Nathan's life, Peyton. You should have seen him even before we found out about the fall. He was completely wrecked over the thought of losing you. I know that apart of him wanted to slip back into his old ways, but his love for you was bigger than his instincts. And then after we got here, he was so calm and mature about everything. He stayed by your side. He listened to the doctors. He let me come see you. He was everything that you would have wanted him to be."

"Nate's not the only one I had a realization about," she revealed. "Brooke, I know that you and I have been through a lot over the past year, but the one thing that hasn't changed is how much I love you. You are the best friend I have ever had. You are my sister in every way but biology. If something ever happens to me, I need you to promise me something."

"Anything."

"You have to help Nate get through it. You have to be there for him and help him with the baby."

"I'd do anything for Nathan, just like I would do anything for you."

"Thanks, Brooke," Peyton whispered, a stray tear emerging from her green eyes. She brushed it away with a giggle as Lucas popped his head into the room. "Hey, stranger, come join the party."

The blonde ducked his head as he came into the room, unsure of what to say. Luckily, Brooke opened her mouth for him. "I'm going to leave you two alone for a minute so that I can check on Nathan. P, I'm really glad to have you back. I love you."

"I love you too, B," she murmured as she hugged her friend again. Brooke brushed a kiss over Lucas' cheek before quietly leaving the room. When they were alone, Peyton smiled up at her unsure ex-boyfriend. "It's not your fault either, Luke."

He shook his head. "I know that in here," he told her, tapping his temple, "but my heart seems to have trouble accepting it. I shouldn't have been there, Peyt."

"We didn't do anything wrong. Nate doesn't blame you. It might seem like it, but he's just mad at himself. And more than that, he was scared," she pointed out. "You would have been the same way if you had walked in on him in a situation like that with Brooke."

"Are you okay? I mean, really okay? You can tell me. I've been where you are."

She shrugged. "I don't know much more than you do. The doctors ran a lot of tests. They talked to me about the baby and some possible treatments I may have to go through. I guess they're going to watch us or whatever. I honestly am not sure what's going on. I'm just trying to stay calm," she answered. "Are you okay?"

"Are you kidding? Nothing happened to me. I'm fine."

"I don't buy that for a minute," she countered. "I know you better than that. You were with me when I fell. If it wasn't for you, I don't know what would have happened. You might have saved my life, Luke. Not just me but your little niece or nephew. Thank you."

Lucas waved his hand dismissively. "It was nothing."

"You're always saving me."

"Not anymore, not this time," he disagreed. "That was all Nathan. He's the one who brought you back."

She smiled to herself as she looked down at her hands. If only Lucas knew how Nathan's words had helped her escape the darkness that had kept her away for the past day. "Yes, he is."

As Peyton and Lucas talked in her room, Brooke found Nathan sitting quietly in the waiting room. Most of their friends had gone home for the night with promises to return early the next day to visit. He enjoyed the silence. It was the first time he had felt at peace in nearly two days now. "Hey, Superstar,"

"How's our girl?"

"She's alive, and right now, that's pretty much everything," she answered. "How are you?"

"Relieved. Guilty. Grateful. Hanging in there."

Brooke slung her arm around Nathan and hugged him close to her. "She's worried about you."

"She shouldn't be," he retorted. "I'm fine."

"It's okay, Nate, you don't have to be strong anymore. Peyton's awake."

"There are just so many unknowns. I will let myself feel everything when we know, but until then, I have to stay strong for her. I can't be a mess. I won't let her worry about me like that. We all just need to focus on her."

"She is going to worry about you anyway," Brooke replied. "She's in love with you."

Nathan closed his eyes. He knew that she was right, even if he really didn't want her to be. "I need to tell you something, but you have to promise to keep it a secret. I mean it, Brooke. You can't tell anyone, not even Luke. This is just between you and me."

"It's been awhile since we had a secret."

"I'm going to ask Peyton to marry me."

"Nate, are you sure?"

"You saw what happened. How can I not be sure? I could have lost her tonight. I wouldn't have recovered from that," he admitted. "Peyton's not Haley. It's not going to be like it was last time. I just have to be with her. I don't just want to live with her. I want to be her husband. I want her to be my wife. I want us to belong to each other. Life is so precious. I forget that all too often. I may not get another day with her to make that dream come true. All we have is now."

"She's going to say yes."

"I know," he smiled. "I wouldn't ask if I wasn't sure."

Lucas came out of the door from the ICU with red-rimmed eyes. Nathan caught his gaze and stood up from his seat. The two brothers hugged each other silently, finally letting go of that last bit of resentment that was between them when it came to the blonde. They both loved her but in very different ways. Brooke choked back her own tears as she watched the exchange. "I'm so sorry," Lucas whispered.

"No need, man," Nathan reassured him as they pulled apart. They both wiped the tears away from their eyes and puffed up their chests in false bravado. It was rare that either of them show such a physical sign with their family, especially each other. "I'm sorry, too."

Luke nodded. "No need, man." He looked over at Brooke and winked. "She's asking for you." Nathan patted his brother on the shoulder as he headed into the ward. Lucas collapsed into the seat next to Brooke. "How you holding up, Pretty Girl?"

"I love you, Lucas Scott."

"Yeah?" he murmured as he looked at her sidelong. "I love you, Brooke Davis."

"Will you take me home?"

"You sure you want to leave?"

"Peyton doesn't need me anymore tonight. She's got all she needs in there. I want you to take me home and hold me. That's what I need. It's what you deserve."


	21. Chapter 21

There were things harder than being stuck in a hospital, but right now, Peyton couldn't think of too many. Her friends had spent the last few days taking turns visiting her, bringing albums and games and magazines to pass her idle time. Nathan had been her most frequent visit, coming armed with photo albums and her sketch books that they pored over together. The doctor had had to kick him out of Peyton's bed on more than one occasion, but neither of them seemed to care. Now that he had her back, he was set on holding her as much as she would allow. It didn't matter that the surgeon didn't approve of the innocent physical intimacy, he just needed to have his arms around her and his hands upon her womb. He'd come too close to losing them both to not spend as much time with them as he could.

Still, despite all of the visitors she'd received, Peyton was beginning to feel overwhelmed by all the time she spent trapped in her room. The school had sent a tutor so that she wouldn't fall further behind in her senior year classes, but it was clear that she didn't really care about her grades anymore. She just wanted to get out of the hospital, to have things finally return back to normal. However, at least for the foreseeable future, this room would continue to be her makeshift home. It was a better one than it had been the day she had woken up, with the photographs and personal touches Brooke had brought to her. However, it was still a hospital room where Nathan was forced to leave when visiting hours and she had to spend the night alone.

However, it was morning now and the weekend. Peyton was expecting Nathan any minute. He had promised to come by after his morning basketball practice. He had wanted to skip it, much as he had most of the practices since her fall. Peyton had managed to convince him to return to his normal schedule as to not fall behind in his game. They'd had a small argument until he had given in. It was the only thing she had asked of him since coming back, and the selfless request was to only benefit him. If it made her happy to know that he was playing ball, he would play his heart out. He would finally give her something to smile about again.

"Hey, can I come in?"

Peyton looked up toward her door, expecting to see her boyfriend but finding his ex-wife instead. Haley was the lone member of the group who had not been by to visit yet. She had kept her distance at Lucas' recommendation, telling her that the doctors didn't want Peyton to be under too much stress. Brooke had finally called her last night to tell her that she could come by to visit. It had been a hard decision for the brunette, wanting to protect her best friend. Yet, she knew that the visit would happen, and it wouldn't do Peyton any good to prolong the inevitable. Peyton would hate that people were dictating her life for her, and so, it was time to let the chips fall as they should.

"Haley, please come in," Peyton allowed. She felt herself immediately tense up before forcing her body to relax. She could hear Nathan reminding her to stay calm. The last thing she needed was to have an anxiety attack and have to stay here even longer. "Nathan should be here any minute. He promised to come by after practice."

Haley noted the formality in her former friend's voice. She hated that Peyton was treating her with such polite disconnect, as if they were virtual strangers. She also heeded the blonde's last statement as a warning. Nathan would likely be unhappy that she had come by for a visit. "I'm sorry that I haven't been by sooner, but I figured that you were probably tired of having so many visitors. Besides, I wasn't sure if I would really be welcome."

"Of course you would be welcome," Peyton replied genuinely. "Haley, I know things have been awkward between us, but we still care about the same people. I still care about you. I would want to come visit you if the situation were reversed. I'm really glad that you came by. I'm sure that everyone has been asking you to keep your distance, but you shouldn't listen to them. I'm fine, really. I don't need them to protect me."

"Brooke's just worried," Haley shook her head. "They all are. We all are."

Peyton smiled kindly as she turned slightly on her side to look at her friend. "Nathan has been a wreck, I'm sure you've heard. I'm worried about him, Hales," she confided. "I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but I think you're the only one that would understand him when he gets like this. You've seen how fiercely protective of me he is firsthand. This all started because he misconstrued a situation between Luke and me. I feel so guilty that my stupid lack of grace is causing all of this for him. Now that I know that the baby is okay, I just want to fix this for him."

"You know Nathan better than I ever did, which says quite a lot, Peyt," Haley conceded. She had finally come to terms with her place in her ex-husband's life over the past few days. No matter how much he had loved her, they'd always had an expiration date. He would have always returned to Peyton. "Nathan doesn't want you to fix this for him. He needs to punish himself."

"He's so afraid of turning into Dan that he has to overcompensate for all of his indiscretions. I know that he feels awful for what happened between us the last time, so he's determined to do better by me this time around. He's become such a devoted father already that it almost blows my mind. Here's this high school kid, not even a legal adult, and he has more responsibility than people twice his age. I know that's all my fault. I carry that weight on my shoulders."

"He doesn't look at it that way, Peyton, and you know it. You didn't do this alone." Both of the girls turned around to find Brooke poised in the doorway. She had never been the wisest one in the group, but she sometimes had a clarity that only she could see. She had no mute button and didn't make any apology for calling it like she saw it. "You two talk about Nathan like he is this saint or some unsuspecting guy who just fell into this situation. I love Nate as much as either of you, albeit in a different way, but he needs to carry some of that weight. He needs to be responsible. Even more than that, he wants to be responsible."

Peyton felt like a child being scolded by her mother. "Brooke, I'm sorry, that's not what I meant. I'm just worried about Nathan."

"Don't you worry about him, P., he is doing just fine. I just left the gym, and he was playing better basketball than I've seen him play the past two years," Brooke reassured her. "In fact, he was kicking the entire team's asses up and down the court. Except Lucas, of course. My boyfriend can give yours a run for his money."

"You wish!" Peyton shot back as Brooke came into the room and flopped down at the foot of Peyton's bed. Haley pulled her chair closer to them both as the three girls fell into an easy conversation. They gossiped about the latest rumors going around school, what couples were hooking up and which were breaking up. They talked about the boys and about music and of course, about basketball. Before any of them knew it, an hour had passed, and there was yet another knock at the door.

Nathan had been peering through the window of Peyton's private room for a few minutes, watching in amazement as his girlfriend, ex-wife and close friend hung out like three normal teenage girls. It was like they were at Peyton's house for a sleepover and none of the past year had ever happened. He hadn't seen Peyton smile that widely since she woke up or Brooke look that at ease. Even Haley seemed completely comfortable hanging out with her friends. It was nice to see the girls like that. They all deserved it.

"Hey, girls," he called as he came into the room. His blue eyes connected with Peyton's green ones immediately as she offered him a small smile. He came over the opposite side of the bed from Haley and leaned down to kiss his girlfriend's forehead. "Hey, Hales, I haven't seen you around much."

"Well, you'll be seeing her a lot more because she is going to start visiting me more. Right, Haley?" The girl nodded and smiled as Brooke bumped her shoulder. "How was practice? Brooke told me that you were kicking ass and taking names."

"Don't I always?" he smirked as he ducked his head in feigned immodesty. "Actually, it was probably the best practice I've had in awhile. I guess I had some inspiration to get it over with. I knew as soon as I was finished, I knew I got to come by here and see my girls."

"Aww, Nate, that's so sweet! I had no idea you missed me so much."

Peyton and Haley stifled their giggles at Brooke's joke. "Yeah, Brooke, I miss you when I see you all day at school and most of the evening here. In fact, maybe we should spend more time apart so that I could actually have the time to miss you," he pondered. He winced a moment later when Peyton sent a sharp elbow into his ribs. "Ow."

"Sorry, Nate, but I can't have you flirting with my friends," Peyton teased. The two stared at each other for a moment longer than made Haley or Brooke uncomfortable. Both of them suddenly felt like they were encroaching on a private moment. Peyton finally managed to tear her eyes away from her boyfriend to return her attention to her friends. "He still insists that it's a girl, but I'm not so sure. I'm actually hoping for a boy. I always wished that I had an older brother to protect me."

"Hey, that's what you have me for," Nathan protested.

"Actually, you're kind of what he would have protected me from," she retorted innocently. His face fell as all three girls started to giggle again. Peyton chuckled as she reached up and patted his arm soothingly. "Of course, he would have failed because who can resist a stud like Nathan Scott? You would have been able to take him down, Babe. You're so big and strong."

"Stop making fun of me, Peyt," he laughed. He knew that she was only half joking anyhow. "I honestly don't care if we have a boy or a girl. I just want a healthy baby after all of this. A boy would be cool because I could teach him about basketball and stuff, but what guy doesn't want a little girl?"

Brooke couldn't help but scoff a little. "I cannot believe I am listening to cynical Peyton Sawyer and hotshot Nathan Scott talk about the gender of their lovechild," she shook her head. Haley joined her friend in her disbelief. "What has the world come to?"

"Our baby not a lovechild, Brooke," Peyton replied. "It's not 1967, and we're not hippies. You might as well just get used to this because we're all stuck with this kid. And don't you even pretend that you're not thrilled that I'm pregnant. You're just as excited as I am to become a godmother."

"Maybe," Brooke relented before nodding her head. "Fine, I'm ecstatic that you're pregnant, but it doesn't mean that it's not weird." She watched Nathan look down at Peyton adoringly for a moment, thinking how she was more thrilled to see her best friend so genuinely happy. "Well, I'm going to get out of here. I need to go by that boutique downtown before it closes. What do you say, Tutor Girl? Want to do a little shopping cardio with me?"

Haley reached down and retrieved her messenger bag from beneath her chair. "Like it would do me any good to tell you know," she replied as she rose to her feet. She reached over and hugged Peyton tightly. "Thanks for the talk, Peyt. I'll be by again soon."

"Don't be a stranger," Peyton called out as Brooke smothered her with a hug. "Loosen up there, Davis."

"I'm just so happy that you're okay," Brooke replied as she kissed her friend's forehead. She reached across the bed and hugged Nathan. "You take care of her for me, alright? I'll be by on my way to school in the morning to check on her."

"Yes, Ms. Davis," Nathan replied dutifully. He took Haley's abandoned chair as the two girls finally left the room. Once they were alone, he leaned over and kissed his girlfriend deeply. "I've been wanting to do that all day."

Peyton smiled happily as she leaned back against her pillow. "Haley and I are okay now, just so you know. I want her to come by and visit. It's time to let all of the past go."

"Whatever you want, Peyt, I'll support it," he promised. He was willing to let Haley visit Peyton as long as she was comfortable with it. "Did you see any of your doctors today?"

"I think I've seen most of them," she answered. "I'm so tired of being pricked and probed with all these tests. I know that they're important to monitor my health and the baby, but I feel like a medical experiment gone awry. I wish that I could spend one night home with you in my bed. I wish that we could be just like any normal couple for once."

Nathan abandoned his chair to slip behind her. Pulling her between his parted legs, he guided her head back against his chest as their hands met on her abdomen. "This is the closest thing to home I can give you right now," he murmured into her hair as they both closed their eyes. "We're going to be fine, Peyton. I just know it. This is almost over."

"I hope you're right, Nate," she retorted despite the nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach that told her otherwise. She had always heard about a mother's instinct, and Peyton was afraid that she was finally coming into hers. "I'm just not so sure."

He looked at her over her shoulder, locking her eyes and making a promise that she wanted to believe he could keep. "We're going to be fine, baby girl," he repeated. "I can see it in your eyes that you're doubting my confidence, but you just have to let it go. Positivity breeds positivity. Believe it or not, that's something my dad used to say about basketball. If you think it can happen, it will happen. I believe that I am going to get to take you home very soon and we're going to have a very long life together."

"Oh, yeah? How long were you thinking of sticking around? Fifty, sixty years?"

Nathan shook his head. "How about forever?"

"Forever?" she echoed as she fingered the fringe of the blanket. "I think I like the sound of that."

"Yeah?"

Peyton nodded. "Yeah."

"Want to make that permanent?"

She stopped fiddling with the coverlet and looked up at him. "Nate, are you asking?"

"I'm asking," he confirmed. "Do you wanna be my girl?"

"I was always your girl."

Nathan had to kiss her with that. As they pulled apart, he wanted to take the moment and wrap it around them like a protective shield. "Do you want to be my wife?"

"Okay," she answered simply, "sounds good."

The proposal wasn't grandiose or overly romantic. It was simple and honest, much like the love that had grown between Peyton and Nathan over the past month. He hadn't set out intending to marry the blonde, but now, he couldn't imagine a future that didn't include her as his wife. Some people would say that they were moving too quickly, but Nathan couldn't imagine slowing down. He had spent a half a year without Peyton, six months too long. He was going to be a father when he had walked into her hospital room that afternoon, and now, fifteen minutes later, he was going to be a husband as well.


	22. Chapter 22

"She's crashing!"

"I need to get a crash cart in here!"

"Her BP is dropping…"

Doctors and nurses rushed around outside Peyton's hospital room, her door constantly being opened and closed. Nathan could sense something was wrong before he even fully made it up the hallway. He stopped at the end of the corridor and just stared as a pair of orderlies wheeled his fiancée out of her hospital room and toward the operation room. A team of doctors and nurses followed behind her, running as quickly as they could in their scrubs and sneakers. Brooke was just behind him, her hand resting on his back as she peered over his shoulder. He reached back instinctively and brought her next to him.

"Nate, what's happening?"

He looked down at the petite brunette and shrugged. He didn't understand. She was clutching his fingers tightly with her left hand and holding onto Peyton's steaming vanilla chai tea with her other hand. They had only been gone fifteen minutes for a quick jaunt across town. Peyton had been begging for some real food all morning, and Nathan and Brooke had finally ventured from the hospital to pick her up some tea and her favorite mozzarella turkey melt from Karen's Café. She had been perfect before she left, laughing and smiling while they gossiped and talked about the big game. Nathan hadn't wanted to leave her, but Peyton had asked him to go to help Brooke. Now, as he watched the chaos unfold in front of him, he knew that he should have never left. That could be the last time he ever saw Peyton.

The two of them walked down the hallway toward the operating room, their steps quickly changing from a quick stroll to a frantic run. Nathan's long legs carried him twice as fast down the sterile corridor as Brooke. He came to a screeching halt outside the doors. He peered through the window. "Oh, my God," he whispered to himself, tears prickling in his blue eyes. There was a monitor attached to Peyton's stomach for the baby as well as the various wires and machines hooked up to her. A nurse turned around and caught his eye. He recognized her as the one who had watched him a few days before when Peyton had woken up. She said something to a doctor before coming outside to talk to him.

"Mr. Scott, you need to go to the waiting room," she told him gently. "A doctor will be out to talk to you soon."

"No, _you_ need to tell me what is happening to my fiancée. I am not going anywhere until I know that she and our child are okay," he argued defiantly. Brooke had caught up with him by that time and was standing on her tiptoes to watch the doctors work on her best friend. "We just left her for a few minutes! What could have happened while we were gone?"

"Mr. Scott, you have to leave," she said again, looking up into his eyes apologetically. "I'm sorry that I can't tell you more, but I promise that someone will be out to tell you something as soon as we know. Our first priority has to be getting Peyton stabilized."

Nathan started to argue with the nurse when Brooke reached for his hand. She tugged him away from the operating room even though everything in her body was screaming at her to fight with the nurse to stay. She knew that Peyton wouldn't want Nathan to watch her go through this. Her best friend had asked her to help take care of Nathan. "Come on, Nate, let's go for a walk," she prodded him gently. "It's what Peyt would want."

He brushed his hand over his face tiredly but allowed Brooke to guide him down the hallway. He knew that Peyton would want him to take care of Brooke, to keep her distracted while they waited to find out more. That was the only thing he could do for his fiancée right now, and that was what he was going to focus on. Wrapping his arm around his friend's shoulders, he started a route that they would trace dozens of times over the next few hours. "Brooke, Peyton and I were going to tell you something earlier, but I think that you might want to know now."

She looked up at him in question as they stopped near the coffee machine for a break. Brooke slipped a pair of coins into the machine and punched the button for a vanilla latte. "She said yes, didn't she?" The excitement wasn't in her voice like it should have been. She just didn't feel like celebrating. She knew that the fact that he had proposed would only make it that much harder if he lost her. If they lost her. Brooke shook her head, reminding herself not to think like that. "Nate, I'm really happy for you."

"You don't really sound like it there, Davis."

"You know why," she said softly back as the tears welled in her eyes. Nathan reached for the coffee cup and set it in the nearby window sill. Drawing her into a tight hug, he squeezed her comfortingly. "I thought that this part was over. Why does this keep happening to her? Every time she should get to be happy, something bad happens. It's not fair, Nate. Peyton knew something was going to happen. She asked me to take care of you. How can I do that when she's the one who has always taken care of me? I don't know how to be if I don't have us."

"Peyt would want us to take care of each other, Brooke," he assured her. "She would want us to lean on each other to get through this. We both have to think positive out here. We have to believe that she is going to come back to us. She's our best friend. She's had all the bad in her life that she is going to get. Things are going to change for her. We just have to believe it with all our hearts. We have to be there to take care of her." Brooke wiped the tears uselessly with the back of her hand, smearing the mascara over her porcelain skin. Nathan laughed slightly as he brushed the trail away with the pad of his thumb. "None of those, Davis," he told her gently. "Let's just keep walking."

The two of them started their journey back up the hallway, talking about stupid little things to keep their minds off the severity of the moment. Nathan knew that he should find a phone to call Larry. Brooke kept thinking about how she needed to call Lucas. However, right now, they didn't want to leave each other's side. They didn't want to let Peyton down. She needed the two of them to be together and sending all the positive love her way. She needed them to believe in her.

After they had been walking the hallways for a few hours, Brooke and Nathan finally stopped to call a few of their friends and Peyton's father. Larry was out at sea for two days and unreachable. He hadn't wanted to go, but Peyton had insisted. He only had a limited number of vacation days, and she wanted him to save a few for when the baby came. The operator promised to send a boat out to get in touch with him as soon as he could. Nathan felt guilty that he hadn't called earlier, knowing that Larry could be back on his way by now. However, he had done what Peyton would have wanted, and right now, that was all that mattered to him.

"Luke is on his way," Brooke told him as she fell back in step next to him near the gift shop. She handed him a bottle of water before taking a long sip from her own. "He is going to call your mom and a few of the guys."

"Thanks," he replied shortly, not really wanting to share this with anyone but her. They were Peyton's family, the people that were there day in and day out. He knew that Brooke needed Lucas, and if he was honest with himself, Nathan could use his brother right now. He just didn't want everyone else crowding around him and acting like Peyton's cheerleader all over again. "I don't want to tell anyone else about the engagement until Peyt can be there. I need you to keep it a secret."

"I won't tell anyone, even Lucas," she pledged. "It isn't even mine to tell."

"Brooke, if something happens to her…"

"We are not going to lose her."

"Right," he shook his head resolutely, forcing himself to believe the words. She had to be okay. He was not going to lose her now. As much as he had invested a few days ago when she had fallen into the coma, there was even more between them now. "I just wish someone would tell us something."

Brooke laughed despite herself. "Neither of us is very good at the patience thing, huh?"

"That's always been more Luke and Peyton's thing," he acknowledged. "That's why we need them around. They balance us out, you know? You and I would never work because we're too much alike. We've always made really great friends because we get each other, Brooke. You're almost the female version of me. That's why Luke and Peyton couldn't work. They need us just as much as we need them."

She smiled up at him as they rounded a corner. "I'm supposed to be cheering you up."

"I just like talking about Peyt," he smiled slightly. "It used to be that basketball was the only thing that I was really interested in, you know? I mean, I loved girls and partying, but basketball was my lone passion in life. But now, that's so different. I still love the game. I always will. I'm just so much more passionate about that girl in there. Brooke, she is the love of my life. No one else could understand how much she means to me other than you. You've been through everything with us, even when the three of us were barely speaking. Now we have Lucas in that group, and we've built our own family when the ones we were born into were too dysfunctional."

"I can't believe how grown up you are sometimes, Superstar," she complimented.

"Just don't tell anyone," he smirked. Peace washed over him as he drew near to the waiting room. He could see a surgeon and the nurse from earlier waiting from him. As his eyes met the older woman's, he knew then that everything was going to be okay. "Peyton pulled through, Brooke." Her eyes followed his to the nurse. She knew immediately just as he had.

The surgeon walked ahead of the nurse to meet him. "Mr. Scott, we've been looking for you," he greeted him professionally. "I would like to bring you on back to my office so we can talk about Peyton's condition. Miss, would you mind waiting here?"

"Brooke is coming with me," Nathan told him. He would not leave her out there to wait alone. He had tried to do this on his own last time, but he wouldn't thing go around. He needed his family, especially Brooke and Lucas. "And we don't need to go to your office. Just tell me whatever you need to tell me so that we can go see her."

The nurse exchanged a nervous look with the doctor. "Peyton's condition has stabilized. We managed to get her blood pressure back to where it needs to be. We are going to continue to monitor her condition and look at the test results," he explained carefully. "There was something that we didn't see there after she woke up from the coma. When her lung collapsed in the fall, it put a lot of strain on her breathing. That kind of stress has put pressure on her heart."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that we are going to start her on a medicinal protocol that will help regulate her heartbeat. It's also possible that we will have to implement a series of breathing treatments," the doctor answered. "Peyton's body has been through an extreme amount of trauma. Her internal injuries were extensive, and it just may take some time before she is completely stabilized without the help of medical assistance."

Brooke's hand was shaking in Nathan's as they stood in the hallway. Lucas appeared over the nurse's shoulder and came jogging around to reach his girlfriend and brother. "Is Peyton okay?" he asked as he wrapped Brooke in his arms. The two brothers exchanged a long look. "Nate?"

"It's her heart."

Lucas knew how dire that situation could be given his own medical condition. Nathan continued to explain what was going on, allowing the doctor to interject when appropriate. Finally, after telling his brother everything, the tall brunette looked up at the doctor. "We need to see her."

"Peyton is waiting in her room. You can go in one at a time."

Nathan shook his head. "She needs us all there. My family is paying for Peyton to have a private suite so that she can have more than one visitor. Peyton would want us there. I'm not going in there without them."

"Mr. Scott…"

The nurse reached out and put her hand on the surgeon's wrist. "Nathan, we are going to make this exception one time. The three of you can go in there together for five minutes and then two of you will have to leave. It should give you all enough time to see that she is okay with your own eyes. Please understand that we have to limit the visitors for Peyton's sake. It's about protecting her and your baby."

"Thank you, nurse," Brooke retorted before starting down the hall. Nathan was right by her side with Lucas just a step behind. The three of them stopped outside her door and gazed at her sleeping form through the window. "Nate, are you sure you want us to come in with you?"

"She needs you guys there," he replied. "I need you both there."

Lucas reached up and twisted the door knob, stepping aside to let the pair of brunettes in first. Nathan went to one side while Brooke found her way to the other. Lucas stood at the foot of the bed, unsure of his place exactly but knowing that this where he belonged. It was where they all belonged. "Hey, Sawyer, you're always bringing the three of us together, you know? It'd be nice if you were awake for at least one of these things."

Nathan reached for Peyton's hand and kissed her fingertips. "Luke, I need you to call Hales. Peyton would want her here." His brother nodded and promised to call as soon as they went back to the waiting room. "Peyt, all three of us are here. The doctor said you're going to sleep for a little longer, but I just wanted you to know that we're all here for you. We are always going to be here for you."

"We love you, P.," Brooke added.

"Come on, Babe," Nathan implored. His voice faltered just as the tears started to fall. Brooke came around to the other side immediately, pulling her chair next to Nathan's so that she could hold his hand. Lucas was on his other side, resting his hand on his brother's shoulder. "They're going to take care of me so I can take care of you."


	23. Chapter 23

"Daddy?"

Larry Sawyer woke himself from his restless sleep at the sound of the sweetest word that had ever been spoken. Peyton had been in and out of consciousness for most of the past forty-eight hours. He had mentally kicked his own ass up and down the east coast the entire trip back to shore after he'd gotten the call from Nathan. No matter how much Peyton had insisted or how well Nathan had promised to take care of her, he knew that he should have never left his daughter. However, he knew that his days of being the most important man in his little girl's life were numbered. Her heart belonged to another man, and they were going to have a child of their own soon. Still, every time he looked into her beautiful green eyes or saw her crooked smile, he saw the five-year-old with the scraped knees and plaid sundress.

He had alternated spending time at her side along with Nathan, Brooke and even Lucas. Peyton had been blessed with faithful friends, especially the three teenagers closest to her. They were there whenever they weren't at school. Nathan was even at the hospital when he should have been at school. Larry and Nathan had spent a lot of time talking while Peyton was sleeping. He was still leery of the youngest Scott brother, who was better known for his wicked jumpshot and wild antics than his sense of responsibility. Even still, Larry had to admit that Nathan had changed drastically from the sixteen-year-old who was always breaking Peyton's heart.

"Hey, there," Larry smiled as he leaned over and touched her arm comfortingly. Peyton turned slightly on her side to look up at her dad. "You've been pretty out of it, huh? Do you remember much?"

She had been surrounded by her family for the past few days. Everyone was telling her very little, worried that the stress would take its toll on her body. Nathan had let a few details slip, Brooke had told her even more. "I want to go home," she answered. "The doctors are just watching me. I am tired of being here. I want to come back to the house tonight."

"Peyt, the doctors really want to keep an eye on you and the baby…"

Peyton had never thrown a fit as a little girl. She had always been too proud and too determined to let anyone see her breakdown. Instead, she would become eerily calm and completely quiet, refusing to talk for days. He could still see that stubborn streak in her now, as she bit her bottom lip in frustration. "I am not going to stay here unless something is wrong with the baby. Since no one will tell me what is going on, I am going to have to assume that both the baby and me are fine," she told him. "If that is not true, then you need to have a doctor come in here and explain to me why I should stay here."

Larry raked his fingers through his hair exhaustedly. He'd barely slept more than a few hours since Peyton had fallen down the stairs, both when he was still in Tree Hill and for the few days he'd been out to sea. "Maybe I should go get Nathan, honey."

"Maybe you should just tell me what is going on," she declared. "I know that this is bad, whatever it is that you all are hiding. Nate doesn't want to be the one to tell me, but I can see it in his eyes whenever he's here. Dad, please, I just need you to tell me."

He reached for his daughter's hand and took a deep breath for courage before slowly beginning to tell her everything they knew. It wasn't much by any means, but it was all he had to offer. Peyton listened carefully, remaining quiet and never asking a question. When he was finished, Larry finally felt brave enough to look into her eyes. "I'm sorry that I don't have more than that."

"I just needed the truth," she assured him, reaching down to cover his hand with hers. "I know that you have been blaming yourself for leaving but you can't. I wanted you to go. I need you here when the baby comes. I know that everything is going to be alright, I promise. I know that you don't believe me. I'm not even sure that I would believe me. I just know it's a feeling that I have."

"I can't believe that you are being optimistic," he smiled fondly. Peyton hadn't believed in hope since she was a little girl. He supposed that losing your mother before junior high would have that affect on a girl. She had been jaded before she was even finished with puberty. He was still amazed that she had come out as strong as she had. "Alright, if you are going to believe, then I am going to believe."

"You don't have to, Dad," she told him, the slightest hint of a smile playing on her lips. "If you can't, I can have faith enough for both of us. You were always taking care of us when I was a kid. Maybe it's time I learn how to do that."

"You've been doing it for years," he shook his head before kissing her forehead. "I'm going to go get that boy of yours. He's out there doing his math homework. It's the only way Whitey would let him still play. He has been doing all the stuff for his morning classes here and spending afternoons at the school. I'm pretty sure that he wants to see you before he heads over."

Larry left the room, sending in Nathan in a few minutes later. The lanky brunette was all smiles as he slipped into the chair at Peyton's side. Her father had told him briefly that Peyton knew everything. Nathan was relieved that he wasn't the one to tell her. He prided himself on being physically strong, but everyone knew that Peyton was the one who held him together. "Hey, babe," he murmured, leaning forward to kiss her. She held him there for a moment as he pulled apart, staring into his eyes. "I am going to get you out of here tonight. The doctors said that everything has been stable these past two days. There isn't any reason for you to be here anymore."

"I was just trying to make a point earlier, Nate."

"I want you to come home," he insisted. "I want you to come home to me."

"Nate, babe, I can't live with your parents."

He smiled gently, reaching to entwine their fingers together. He wasn't going to go back to school like he was supposed to this afternoon. Honestly, he didn't give a damn about going to class just so he could practice. His game wouldn't suffer from one missed day. He'd managed to play under stress all this time. In fact, he'd actually had his best season yet, surprising even his harshest critics. His inspiration was to make Peyton proud, to secure the better future their family deserved.

"I actually have a surprise for you," he confessed. "I don't want you to be mad because I know we haven't exactly talked about our living arrangements. I mean, I know we talked about living together at your house, but I sort of wanted to make it official. Your dad moved everything out last night. He is staying in an apartment near the marina. Luke and some of the guys moved me into your room. We can figure out the specifics later. Are you mad?"

She shook her head as she pulled on his shirt to draw him nearer. "Are you kidding me, Scott?" she grinned blissfully. "I have stared at these ugly four walls or the inside of my eyelids for days. I can't wait to get home to my room, to my music and my drawings. I get to come home to the room I love and the man that I love."

"I feel a lot older than seventeen sometimes."

"You'll be eighteen soon enough."

"I just want to take you home because then this is over. It's been a nightmare, Peyt. I know that you have been through so much worse than me through all of this, but it's been so hard," he broke down slightly. He had tried to be strong for her all this time, but now that they were nearing the end of the ordeal, he needed her to know everything. "I wanted to be your strength. I had Luke and Brooke to lean on, but I missed you so much."

Peyton had often wondered how she would handle it if she were thrown in Nathan's position. She never wanted to be the one watching him struggle just to hang on. She wasn't sure what was worse, subjecting him to the physical pain or the fear of not knowing. "I don't know how you've hung in," she soothed him, brushing her thumb over the top of his hand. "You have been so strong for me, Nate. I would have fallen apart if I had to see you go through this. I've gotten to miss out on most of it, but you have had to make some really hard choices. You have done so much for this baby and for me."

"I didn't do anything you wouldn't have done for me."

She smiled at him before leaning back against the uncomfortable hospital bed. "I can't wait to marry you."

"Me neither."

"So let's not wait."

"Peyt, we're in a hospital. I don't think you can exactly run off to Vegas."

She laughed at the absurdity of his suggestion. "Not Vegas, Nate, the hospital chapel," she suggested. "We could go down there, just the two of us. It'd be all over, and then we could tell everyone. I don't want a big wedding. I just want something small with you and me. We can do the ceremony for everyone else later."

"I don't know, babe, we need witnesses or something," he pointed out. "My mom would kill me if she wasn't there. You know that Brooke would have a fit."

"I don't care what they would do," she countered. "It's not about them, it's about us. I just want to be your wife. I want this one tiny little moment to be ours and ours alone. We have had to share the rest of our lives with other people. I want to start our new life together with just you and me. We'll pretend that we're not married, if you want. We can have the big wedding with our parents and our friends. I just can't wait."

Nathan knew that they were going to have to answer a lot of questions if they just showed up one day with matching wedding bands on their hands, but he suddenly didn't care. There were a lot of reasons they shouldn't get married and just one for why they should. That was the only one that really mattered. They were in love.

"So, what do you say, Scott, will you marry me?" It still wasn't the romantic proposal that most girls wanted, but it was exactly the one that she needed. He had asked her last time, and she was saying it this time. They still hadn't told anyone other than Brooke that they were even engaged. She knew that Lucas and Haley and their parents all needed to be told, but there would be time for that later.

Looking down at his hands, he had to shake his head. "Peyt, I can't marry you like this."

"Wait? What?"

"I don't want to keep it a secret. I won't lie to everyone. I will marry you as long as you promise me that we don't have to the other stuff. If you don't want a big ceremony, I don't want one. The one that you have in mind, with just you and me, that's all I need. We can get that nurse from the other night, the really sweet one to be our witness. I don't care if it's strangers. As long as it's about you and me."

"It's always about you, Nate," she teased him. "So, we're really going to do this?"

"I am going to marry you tonight," Nathan confirmed. "And then I am going to take my wife home."


	24. Chapter 24

It had taken some doing, but Nathan was finally sure that he had everything that he needed to make Peyton's dream of a hospital wedding come true within the hour. After asking Larry to stay with her while he supposedly went to his afternoon classes, Nathan made an impromptu visit to his father's dealership. It had been quite some time since father and son had talked on any real level, but Dan Scott was perhaps the only way Nathan was going to make this work out for Peyton. She was worth swallowing his pride for.

"Hey, Dad," Nathan greeted his father as he came into Dan's office. The older Scott was hunched over his desk, pouring over stacks of paperwork. "I need to ask you a favor."

Dan knew by Nathan's tone that whatever his son was asking for, it was clearly important to him. Nathan rarely came to him for anything these days, especially something that could come with strings attached. "What is it, Son?"

"It's about Peyton," he replied. Nathan wished that it didn't have to come to this, but it was worth it for her. He just needed to keep reminding himself of that. "We're getting married…tonight. No one else knows. After everything that has happened with the baby, she wants to keep it just the two of us. I know that it's really short notice, but I was hoping that you could pull some strings as the mayor and help get our marriage license pushed through at the county clerk's office. I know that you don't like Peyton and you probably don't approve, but I will never ask anything of you again if you just do this for me. Please, Dad, I need you to help me."

It had been a long time since he had heard his son sound so desperate. Dan knew that he could draw this out, hold things against his son in order to get his way. He could be the man that everyone thought him to me, the one that he sometimes was. Or he could be the man that Deb had believed him to be when she fell in love with him in high school, the father that Nathan and Lucas both deserved. It was rare that he had such humble moments, and he figured he could earn a few good karma points at the very least by helping Nathan.

"Whatever you need me to do, Nate," he vowed as he reached for the telephone. One short call later, the county clerk was completing the paperwork and sending one of the interns over to deliver it to the hospital chapel. Nathan thanked his father profusely, still amazed by how easily his father had relented. There were no terms, no bargains or pleas. He had simply done something selfless for his son. "And by the way, it's never been about me not like Peyton. She's a good girl, Nate. She's right for you in a way that Haley never was. I just didn't want to see you give up your dreams for anyone. Peyton's the kind of girl who will make sure that never happens."

Nathan was surprised by his father's confession, causing him to do something he hadn't done since elementary school. The two men hugged each other awkwardly before relaxing into a more comfortable embrace. Dan choked back his own tears, knowing that he was finally going to have to let go of Nathan fully. His hold over his son had officially ended.

As he started to go, Nathan turned around in the doorway and looked back at his father. "We're not telling anyone until after it's over. You're the only one who knows," he told Dan. "I know that I don't really have the right to ask you for anything after what you just did for us, but do you think you could keep it a secret until we tell everyone? It's really important to Peyton and me to do this our own way."

"Like I said, whatever you need me to do," Dan assured him before Nathan left.

After leaving his father's office, Nathan swung by the house to pick up a few necessities to bring back to Peyton. Once everything had been packed in his gym bag, he made a trip over to the jewelry store to pick out a pair of matching rings. He wanted something completely different from what he had when he was married to Haley. Looking through the cases of jewelry, a slow smile crept over his face as he came upon the perfect symbol of his relationship with Peyton. The jeweler promised to put a rush on the order and told Nathan that he could come back in an hour to pick up the rings. That gave him just enough time to make one last visit before going back to the hospital.

Nathan hadn't stepped foot in a church since he was a kid and his mother had gone through one of her bents. She had been intent for a few months that the Scotts would go to church every Sunday and make an example for all of Tree Hill of what a family should be. Nathan would sit in the back pew every week between his parents, drawing out basketball plays on the back of the program while everyone else sang hymns. Since that time, he had had very little use for God. It wasn't until Peyton and the baby were put in danger that he really even contemplated the existence of faith again. Now that he was about to have everything that he ever wanted, he couldn't deny that there had to be something out there watching over them. He'd like to believe that it was God and that someday they would share that faith with their children.

However, it wasn't a crisis of faith that drew Nathan to the small country church just outside Tree Hill that warm afternoon. He remembered one night last summer when he had been at the beach with Peyton. It was one of those nights when they had stayed up extremely late, just talking about nothing and everything. They'd somehow gotten onto the topic of the future and what their lives would be like if they managed to stay together. They couldn't have imagined then how it would all turn out, that he would be divorced from another woman at seventeen and Peyton would be pregnant with his child. Just like so much about life, they hadn't had the slightest clue.

The one thing that had stuck out most in his mind, the one fragment from that conversation that had stayed with him, was Peyton talking about where she wanted to get married. Her parents had been married at the little country church before they adopted her. The family used to come there when she was still pretty young. She could remember sitting between her parents just like Nathan had, but she had loved being there. The music, the prayer, the joy in the air – it was a happy memory for her. Then, Peyton's mom had died suddenly, and Larry couldn't bear to go anywhere that reminded him of her. They had stopped going to church there a long time ago, but she had never given up hope that she would one day follow in her parents' footsteps.

Knocking on the door of the pastor's office just outside the sanctuary, Nathan was surprised to find an older man dressed in jeans and a faded t-shirt inside at a desk. "How can I help you, young man?"

Nathan smiled politely at the man, wanting to put forward the best impression. "Hello, Sir, my name is Nathan Scott. I came here to see if you could perform a wedding this afternoon," he told him. "My fiancée has been in the hospital this past month. We're having a baby in a few months. We want to get married before she comes home so we can start our new life together. I know it's not a typical situation, Sir, but I'm hoping that you could make an exception. Please, it's very important to her that you be the one that performs it."

"What is your fiancée's name?"

"Peyton Sawyer," he answered. "You married her parents twenty years ago."

"Peyton," the man smiled slowly. He clearly remembered her as she had been as a little girl. "Of course, I remember Larry and Anna. They were a very lovely couple. It was such a sad thing that happened to Anna. She was a wonderful woman, a good mother. I remember when they brought Peyton home. You would have sworn that she was their child. I guess in all the ways that counted she was."

Nathan nodded as he looked down at his hands. "Will you help us?"

"Of course, Nathan," Pastor Mitchell agreed. "You just tell me when and I will be there."

After hammering out the details with Pastor, Nathan hurried back to the jeweler before heading over to the hospital. It had taken a little convincing to get Larry back to the house. Nathan made up some lie about wanting someone there to get the place ready. He had already called Brooke and Lucas to go over there to help. Nathan was going to call Deb and Dan when they left the hospital so that they could meet them at Peyton's. Now that everything was aligned, he was more than ready to get this over.

"Hey, babe," he called as he came into the room, his red gym bag slung over his shoulder. Peyton was sitting up on her bed, struggling to put on makeup in the small mirror a nurse had found for her. Her hair was coifed and curled, framing her face perfectly like an angel. "God, you are so beautiful."

"You already got me. You can quit with the lines, Scott," she teased as he came into the room and kissed her hello. "You know that it's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding, right?"

"I don't believe in luck anymore," he replied. "We get to decide what happens from here on and out. It's you and me against the world."

She smiled at him before eyeing his bag curiously. "What do you have in there?"

"Presents," he announced as he pulled back the zipper. He sat down on the edge of the mattress and set the bag between them. "Go ahead, you open it."

Peyton folded back the flap on his bag and pulled out a slim box wrapped in tissue paper. Yanking off the lid, her face lit up at what was inside. "This was my mom's," she murmured, tears shining in her eyes. It was the same silky white nightgown Anna had worn on her wedding night. It almost looked like a dress and was loose enough to accommodate Peyton's surgical stitches. "Nate, where did you find this?"

"I remember going through that cedar chest with you in the attic last summer," he confessed. "I knew that we wouldn't have enough time to find a wedding dress, but I thought that this just might be even better."

Bringing the soft material to her face, Peyton pressed her nose into the lace bodice of the gown. She would have sworn that she could still smell her mother. "Thank you so much."

"It's not all I have," he said, raising his eyebrows. He pulled out another box, this one square. He opened it to show her the beautiful bouquet he had crafted from flowers outside his parents house. He also showed her the white button-up shirt and slate grey pants he had picked up. She had always loved him in that outfit. "There's one last thing."

"The rings?" she asked hopefully. Nathan nodded as he pulled the velvet box from his pocket and handed it to her. Peyton flipped open the lid and covered her mouth. "Nate, these are perfect." He would never be able to explain how the man had done it so quickly, but he had managed to engrave a pair of matching brushed platinum bands with the first measure of Jet's "Are You Gonna Be My Girl." She couldn't believe that he had remembered. "How did you do this?"

"I remembered that night driving over to the River Court with Tim and you. The song was playing on the radio," he remembered. He knew that few people would get why that moment was important to him, especially after how that night had gone. However, Peyton got it exactly. "Everyone always thought that I was just playing against Lucas because I had to protect what was mine. They thought it was about basketball and my dad and all of that stuff that didn't matter. You knew that it was about you. It was always about you, Peyt. I knew that I had lost you when I lost that game. Sure, it took a few weeks before it fell completely apart, but I ended up being right."

"And then you came back this summer and you found me all over again," he continued. "I have been thinking about that night ever since I decided that I wanted to marry. If I hadn't gone that night, if I had just been able to let it all go, we wouldn't have lost all this time."

"Maybe," she shrugged, "but I'm glad that it happened the way that it did. I had to lose you, Nate, to know how much I loved you. We need to go through Lucas and Haley and Jake to realize what we had. And if we hadn't made those mistakes, maybe we wouldn't be where we are. We might not have this baby. We might not have this really amazing second chance. I wouldn't change a thing, Nate, not a single thing. All of that stuff has led me back to you, led us back to all of this."

"I love you, Sawyer."

"Just think, in less than an hour, you're not going to be able to call me that."

"So you're really going to do it, huh?"

"Do what?"

"Are you gonna be my girl?"

"Always was, always am, always will be."


	25. Chapter 25

Peyton Sawyer never thought she would find herself here, alone with two nurses helping her change from her paper-thin nightgown to a white satin chemise in the privacy of her hospital room on her wedding day. She never thought that she would be pregnant at seventeen about to marry the very boy who had cheated on her just a year ago. She never thought that she would say her vows without a single friend or member of her family at her side. She never thought that this would be exactly what she wanted more than anything in the world.

However, amidst all her uncertainty, Peyton had always been sure of a few things. She had always been sure that she was stronger than she thought she was. She had always been sure that no matter where life was going to take her, she would find to survive it and come out better on the other end. She had always been sure that Nathan was the man that she was going to end up with because no one would ever understand her like he did. She had always been sure that she would build a family of her own. She had always been sure that somehow everything was going to be alright.

Now, as she slipped her pale arms through the thin straps of her mother's gown, she wished that it was Anna who could be there with her. Her mother would have loved the romance of getting married by candlelight in a hospital chapel by the same pastor who had married her parents. She would have wished that Peyton would have let her father and Brooke be there, but she would have understood why Peyton wanted things this way. She would have gotten that this was about Peyton and Nathan, not anyone else. She would have made it okay for being seventeen and pregnant because she would have reminded Peyton that she was in love.

"Are you sure you don't want me to call someone for you?"

Shaking her head, Peyton mustered a smile for the kind nurse who had come in with the doctor the day that she woke up from the coma. "No but thank you," she replied politely. "Nathan and I just want it to be us. We'll tell everyone after it's over. I get to go home tonight."

The older woman had spent many nights praying for the young blonde woman and the handsome young man that loved her. She had seen so many young couples go through horrible things in her many years as a nurse. She knew that the two teenagers had no clue what lay ahead for them, how hard it would be to balance a social life and high school with diapers and marriage. Her heart went out to both of them, but they seemed to have a good head on their shoulders. They were certainly devoted to each other, and they had a supportive group around them. She had rarely seen more flowers, balloons and visitors parade in and out of a patient's room as they had Peyton's.

"Yes, that is what the doctor told me this morning. I hope that we won't have to see you here again until you go into labor," the nurse retorted. "I know that you have had a hard road, but it looks like things are finally looking up for you, Peyton."

Nathan had just finished changing into his clothes in the room just down the hall. Peyton's doctors had helped make accommodations for them after learning of their plans to get married in the chapel. The minister was already waiting downstairs, using the last few minutes to go over the sermon Nathan had chosen. As he adjusted his collar in the mirror, Nathan wondered if he should call Tim or Lucas. They were his best friends and deserved to know what he was about to do. He thought about how Haley would react and how upset Brooke would be and the disappointment he'd see in his mother's eyes. As hard as that was going to be, he knew that it was going to be worth it.

A knock on the door caused him to gather his things and shove them back into the red gym bag he'd carried for the last four years in basketball. There was still a faded outline of where Peyton had drawn on the inside with a permanent marker. There was a note hidden in the ripped lining that she had given him the second week they had been going out. There was a stained towel that he had used during the game where she had kissed him for the first time in public. All of those little things had always been with him, and after tonight, she would always be with him.

"Mr. Scott, are you ready?"

"Absolutely," Nathan replied as he followed the doctor down the hallway toward the elevator. Peyton had made him promise not to see her before the wedding. He loved how old-fashioned and traditional she could be sometimes, especially when no one would have ever expected it from her. "Wow." The chapel had been set up exactly as he had requested and his father's credit card had made possible. Ivory white and deep crimson roses filled the entire room, leaving a sweet aroma in the air. White taper candles were lit on either side of the altar, casting a perfectly romantic light in the chapel. "This is exactly what I wanted. Peyton is going to love it."

"Good because here comes your girl," the pastor told him a single cellist began to play "The Wedding March."

Nathan had stood the foot of an altar twice now as he watched the love of his life come toward him. He had thought that Haley was that woman the last time around, but now, as Peyton glided toward him slowly in her angelic gown, he knew that he had never been so wrong. He wasn't sure how he could have doubted who he belonged with when it seemed so clear to him. Her green eyes locked with his blue ones as she neared him. He outstretched his hand to help her up the few stairs to stand before the preacher. This was it.

"Peyton and Nathan, we are gathered here tonight to solidify your loving bond in the eyes of God," the minister said. "Marriage is the greatest journey most of us will ever take in our lives. It is not something that can be created but is something that is built over time through love, patience and grace. Your dedication to one another will remind you to talk and listen, help and support, believe and forgive."

The minister continued with his speech as Nathan threaded their fingers together. He knew that they were supposed to hold hands loosely but he had always been a rebel. He had to do things his way. "Today, the two of you will stand together as life mates and partners. Your love is a source of strength which must be nourished. Let your belief in one another be enough to sustain you all the days of your life."

Turning toward Nathan, the preacher reached for the small velvet box that housed their rings. "I believe that you two have chosen to write your own vows. Nathan, you will now make your promises to Peyton."

"Over the years, you have been many things to be, Peyt," Nathan said as he stared deeply into her eyes. "You have been my playmate in the sand, my classmate in second grade. You were my shoulder to cry on when I played the worst basketball game of my life and my sounding board when I thought my life was falling apart last year. You have been my biggest fan, my best friend, my essential person, my love, my soulmate, my saving grace. Today, I make my commitment to you with love and faith."

Peyton's eyes were wet with tears as she began to recite vows of her own. "Nate, we have never made things easy on each other. When it would have been easier to walk away, we chose to stay and fight. When other people would have ran in the opposite direction, we ran toward each other. We should have been a disaster together but we've always found a way to make sense. I am so glad that you came back into my life and changed it in the best way possible. You are undoubtedly the love of my life, and I cannot wait to start this journey with you. Today, I make my commitment to you with love and faith."

"Now, you will exchange your rings."

Nathan slipped Peyton's small band from the velvet box first. "There is nothing else but I love you."

She looked down at the ring engraved with the familiar measure of music from one of her favorite rock songs. Nathan had really thought of everything. "Nate," she whispered, reaching up with her right hand to wipe away the tears. He smiled as he reached up to wipe away the smudged mascara streaked across her cheek.

"I think it's your turn, babe."

She giggled through her tears and reached for the matching band in the minister's outstretched hand. She took Nathan's much larger hand in hers and slid the ring down his left index finger. "There is nothing else but I love you."

"In the end, all that we have is love. Your vows to one another are an illustration of that eternal bond," the older man announced. "Now, by the power vested in me by the state of North Carolina, I now pronounce Peyton Elizabeth and Nathan Royal Scott as husband and wife. Nathan, you may kiss your bride."

Everything else in the world ceased to exist as Nathan's eyes met Peyton's. The candlelight danced behind her as he pulled her toward him, her barely rounded womb only slightly getting in the way. The two met in a deep kiss, one that he deepened as he leaned her backward. She giggled against his lips as he pulled them both back up. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Peyton's giggles soon turned into full-blow laughter as he spun them around in a circle.

"We're married," she whispered as he pressed his forehead to hers. The words were barely out of her mouth as he captured her in another kiss. Peyton slid back to the floor, never breaking their connection. "I'm Peyton Scott!"

"You are, Mrs. Scott," he chuckled as a punk rock version of "What a Wonderful World" came blaring from the small speakers thanks to Joey Ramone. Grabbing her hand, Nathan pulled her into an impromptu dance, moving much too slowly for the vivacious beat filling the chapel.

"Nate, the Ramones!" she cheered as they made it to the back of the chapel. "That was the perfect way to end it. You thought of everything."

"You gave me everything," he replied. "You are everything."

"What do you think, baby?" she whispered as she rested her hands on her abdomen. "Are you happy for your daddy and me?" Her stomach fluttered in response, a first for her. Her face lit up as she grabbed Nathan's hands and pressed them to the spot where the baby had just kicked. "Do you feel that?"

"Someone's happy."

"Yeah," Peyton agreed as she looked up into his eyes, their hands still clasped on her stomach, "someone is happy."


	26. Chapter 26

"Are you ready to do this?" Nathan had spent the entire ride from the hospital to Peyton's house watching her curiously out of the side of his eye, one hand gripping the steering wheel firmly and the other continuously brushing over her wedding ring. He still couldn't believe that they were married or even that she had agreed to be his wife. He had managed to land the prettiest girl in all the school, and even through he knew that he was supposed to be over it, he was still a little proud that Peyton was his.

Peyton looked up at the house ominously and shook her head. There were cars everywhere outside lining the street, letting her know that everyone from Brooke and Lucas to Rachel and Haley were going to show their faces at her welcome home party. None of them were aware that this little shindig was about to turn into a wedding reception really quickly. She was already dreading Brooke's shrill cries of protests and the way Haley's face would inevitably fall and the call she would probably have to make to Jake later. "As long as I live, I don't think I'll ever be ready for this," she confessed. "Are you sure we can't just go to the outskirts of town and makeout like we used to?"

She was already sitting right next to him on the seat of the truck, her thigh pressed against his firmly. He liked being able to feel her and know that she was there by his side. For the rest of his life, he would have the comfort of that feeling. "Aren't you a little too classy to make out in the seat of a truck, Mrs. Scott?"

"God, I hope not!" she exclaimed as she turned around to thread her arms around his neck. "If I ever get to a point where I think I am too old or mature to make out with my incredible sexy husband in his truck, you just need to drag me out there and ravage me until I remember where we come from."

"I'm fairly sure that can be arranged," he moaned while Peyton nipped mischievously on his bottom lip. Nathan gave in easily to her advances, opening his mouth for her probing tongue and allowing them to both lose themselves in the moment. Her fingers tangled in his hair as his hands came to rest on her abdomen between them. Just as he was about to press her back against the seat, a sharp knock on the window behind him broke them out of their blissfully happy lover's haze. "I guess we've been caught."

Looking past her husband (Peyton still couldn't get over the fact that Nathan was her husband), her face lit up as she saw Brooke and Mouth standing there with Haley and Lucas. "Well, I guess it's time for us to tell the truth, Mr. Scott," she whispered before he opened the door. Sliding her hand into his, Peyton allowed him to help her from the truck just as Brooke launched herself at her best friend. "Brooke, sweetie, you just saw me last night. I was okay then, and I'm okay now."

"I'm just so happy you're home!" Brooke squealed as she hugged her friend frantically. Peyton's eyes met Haley's over her best friend's shoulder, and Peyton knew immediately that Nathan's ex-wife knew. She had seen the rings the minute Nathan got out of the truck. Haley turned and whispered something into Lucas' ear. He looked at his friend perplexedly before glancing at his brother. A realization flashed in Lucas' eyes. Peyton was ignoring whatever Brooke was rambling about as she watched Lucas and Haley exchange tense words. A minute later, Haley stalked off with Lucas hot on her trail. "What was that about?"

"What?" Peyton asked, snapping back to reality at Brooke's question. "Huh?"

"I got it," Nathan declared as he jogged off after Haley and Lucas.

Brooke turned to her best friend. "Okay, what did I miss?"

"Mouth, can you give us a minute?" Peyton asked. Mouth smiled and nodded before heading back toward the house. Peyton turned to Brooke and took a deep breath, preparing herself for the ball of fury that Brooke could be when she was left out of something. She slowly raised her left hand for her friend to see. "Nathan and I got married today."

Brooke's jaw dropped open as she yanked on her friend's hand so that she could inspect her wedding band. Tracing over the musical notes, the brunette was clearly shocked. "How could you not tell me? How could you not tell any of us, P?" she asked. "I'm supposed to be your best friend. I would have wanted to be there to be your maid of honor. I can understand if you didn't want a lot of people there but we're like sisters."

Peyton reached up and hugged her friend tightly. "B, I know that you would have wanted to be there, but Nathan and I needed to do this on our own. We didn't have anyone there. He wanted to tell you, but this was something that I wanted to be just ours."

"You realize that's how he married Haley."

She really hadn't considered it up until then. The only thing she had been able to focus on was the fact that she was finally marrying Nathan Scott, a boy that she had loved in every way since she was fourteen. "You know that Nate and I are way different than what he had with Haley," she said defensively. She knew that Brooke hadn't meant it that way, but it still left her feeling like she had to stick up for her marriage to Nathan. "Are you mad at me?"

"No, of course not, just disappointed that I wasn't there," Brooke assured her before hugging her friend again. "I mean, we missed out on all the fun stuff like the bachelorette party and the wedding shower. I didn't get to complain about the ugly dresses that you picked out or laugh when you were too fat to fit in your wedding dress. Did you even wear a wedding dress? P, I wanted to make you a dress!"

"I wore my mom's nightgown," Peyton answered. "Brooke, Nathan thought of everything. He got the same minister that married my parents. He had the hospital chapel play the Ramones and there was candlelight. I know that you had all these thoughts in your head, but this is what I wanted. It was more our style. We're going to have a more formal ceremony so that everyone can be there. Of course I want you to be my maid of honor and you can plan everything. You don't even have to wear an ugly dress, and you can laugh all you want when I'm too fat to fit in my dress."

"Does your dad know?"

Peyton looked down at her hands and shook her head. "No one knew other than Dan."

"Dan?" Brooke cried again. "You didn't tell me but Dan Scott knew?"

"Nate needed his help. He didn't really tell me much more than that," Peyton retorted. "You were the first person I wanted to tell. I guess Haley figured it out before I could tell you. She told Luke, and that's why they both stalked off."

Brooke hadn't even noticed until now that her boyfriend was missing. She had been doing that a lot lately – forgetting that he was around. They had been so connected right after Peyton's accident, but she had felt herself drifting further and further away from him. He had been spending all his time with Haley, comforting her as she tried to deal with everything that had happened in the past year. Brooke hadn't really been upset at first, but now she was beginning to wonder if there was something more to it. In the mean time, she had been hanging out with Mouth again. She had forgotten what a great friend he was and how fun it was just to spend time with someone platonically.

"Lucas always has to save someone," Brooke shrugged as nonchalantly as she could manage before looking down at Peyton's ring. "Alright, so tell me about your wedding, and don't leave a single detail out!"

While Peyton was filling Brooke in on her definition of a perfect marriage, Lucas was standing on the corner a few houses down from Peyton's, holding his bawling best friend in his arms while he tried to sooth his own angry nerves. It wasn't that he was jealous that Nathan had married Peyton. In fact, the opposite couldn't more true. He was happy that they were together. He just wished that Nathan had thought about Haley a little more. He had to have known that this would be hard for her. Instead, he just showed up like it was no big deal, springing it on everyone much like he had with Haley. It all felt a little too familiar for comfort.

"Hales, you okay?"

"No," she murmured through her tears, wiping her face on the soft cotton of his shirt. If it was anyone other than Lucas, Haley would feel silly and insecure for falling apart like this. However, she felt safe with Luca and knew that he understood where she was coming from. "He just married her, Luke."

"You knew it was going to happen."

"I know. I guess I just thought that I was going to have more time to prepare for it."

"We all did, Hales," he assured her as she buried her face in his chest. Lucas rested his chin on top of her head, his eyes shutting while her sobs turned into muffled weeping. "I'm sorry that he did this."

"It's not your fault," she retorted. "It's never your fault."

Lucas was always apologizing for Nathan, even before they had become friends. He hated his brother for the way he had treated Haley, even when it was really his best friend who had caused the end of their marriage. He was really protective when it came to her and had felt even more so in the weeks since Peyton and Nathan had announced their engagement. He loved his brother, but Lucas' first loyalty would forever lie with Haley. She was the one true thing he could count on other than his mother, and there was no one in the world that mattered like her.

"Luke, can I talk to her?"

Looking up, the two Scott brothers could only stare at each other. There was always a girl between them, and this time that girl was Haley James-Scott. "I'm not leaving her alone with you."

"You don't have to go," Nathan shrugged. "What I have to say, I can say to both of you." He reached down and twisted his wedding band self-consciously. "Peyton and I got married today. No one was there and we didn't tell anyone ahead of time. She wanted to do it like this to avoid a big scene. She knew that this would be hard on a lot of people, and that's why she needed it to be about us. We're going to have a more formal ceremony later, but in the mean time, she is my wife. I'm sorry that this is hurting you, Hales."

"C'mon, Nathan, let's not do this," Haley said, peeking her head up from Lucas' chest. "Don't stand here and pretend that this should just be okay for me. I just need a minute, okay? I understand why you married Peyton. I get that I don't really have the right to be upset when I'm the one who left first. I just need a little time to adjust to the fact that I just saw my husband with a wedding ring on that binds him to someone else. I need a moment to get that you're not my husband anymore. You're Peyton's."

"Hales…"

"Just give us a minute, Nate," Lucas interrupted him, wrapping his arm around Haley protectively. "We'll come back in a minute once Haley is calmed down a little. You should go see about your wife."

Nathan didn't like the spiteful way his brother said the last word of his sentence but let it roll off his back. There would be plenty of time to deal with all the consequences of everything, but he was going to be happy tonight. He was going to enjoy being a husband and a father-to-be. His mother could cry, Haley could be angry and Brooke could get hysterical. That was all fine with him. He had all that he needed. He had Peyton.


	27. Chapter 27

Peyton saw Nathan coming back toward her before he even looked up to meet her eyes. She could tell by his posture that the conversation with Haley and Lucas hadn't gone well, not that either of them had really expected it to be pleasant. Peyton had known that Haley was going to take it hard, and Peyton didn't blame her. She would have probably taken it difficultly if the situation were reversed and Jake had ran off to marry someone else. However, Lucas' reaction perplexed her slightly. She knew that the lanky blonde was no longer in love with her. He was supposed to be in love with her best friend, but she was starting to wonder if he had love for his own best friend. Either way, she wasn't really sure what to make of his reaction and was just going to chalk it up to wanting to protect Haley.

Leaving Brooke alone near the porch, Peyton sprung forward and fled into Nathan's arms, wanting to reassure him that they had done the right thing. He caught her easily and held her tightly. "How mad are they?" she murmured as he buried his nose into her blonde ringlets. She felt his body tense, indicating that he had shrugged. "Nate, I'm sorry, I had no idea that Luke would be mad at you for this. If I had known, I wouldn't have asked you to do it."

He reached down and tilted her chin, shaking his head silently. "Don't you for a single second regret the fact that you were crazy enough to actually agree to marry me," he implored. He could handle Lucas' disappointment and Haley's anguish as long as he was sure that Peyton hadn't wanted this as much as he had. The last thing he wanted to see in those pretty green eyes of hers was regret. "It's like you said, this wasn't about them. Haley was going to be hurt whether she knew beforehand or not. Luke is just trying to protect her. They'll come around."

"Speaking of your brother and Haley, what is going on there?"

Nathan looked back to where the two of them were standing on the street corner, Lucas slim arms still around his ex-wife. There would have been a time when he would have wanted to kill his brother for holding Haley like that, but now, he was glad that she had him. He was glad that they had each other. "I think that Brooke is about to get her heart broken all over again by one Lucas Scott," he predicted as Lucas said something to Haley that made her laugh. "I think the inevitable is about to come down between them, if it hasn't already."

Peyton turned and looked toward her front door where Brooke was talking to Mouth. She had always privately rooted for Brooke to fall for the nice guy, and she could only hope that Lucas' betrayal would lead her down that path. Mouth had always loved the brunette, and Peyton knew that he was one of the few guys that would always stick around for her. "Great, well, we have that to look forward to."

"We're not going to get in the middle of it this time," he offered casually as he reached down and kissed her briefly. "You know that we still have to get in there and tell our parents, right? I mean, I'm guessing that Brooke is filling Mouth in on everything by the grin he keeps shooting our way, but I think that Deb and Dan and Larry should probably know. We need to tell the others – Tim, Bevin, Skills, Rachel."

She allowed Nathan to wrap his arm around her waist. "You know that's getting a little harder to do, isn't it?" she giggled as his fingertips brushed over her stomach. The baby jostled slightly in response to his touch. "So are you going to tell me what they said or just brush it off like nothing happened?"

"Luke is just being protective of Hales," he told her. "Haley is hurt like you would have thought she would be. It's not easy for her to see you basically replace her in my life. At some point, I want to tell her that you could never do that."

"I wouldn't even want to," Peyton acknowledged. "Haley was an important person to you, Nate, and I know that she still is. I'm not replacing her, am I? I'd like to think that I'm my own person entirely."

"Not at all," he promised. "Haley and I will have that conversation some day, but she's not quite ready to hear it yet. She's still wrapped up in her own hurt, and she has every right to feel this thing through. That's something that I learned being married to her. You have to let Hales come to terms with things on her own. She's not like you and me. We internalize things until it's almost too late. She wears her emotions on her sleeve. That's where she's like Luke."

"And they say opposites attract," she murmured as she turned in his arms and kissed him again. He fingered her wedding ring absently when they pulled apart, sliding the cool metal around the joint of her left index finger. "It's still there, Nate. It's not going anywhere."

He looked down at her seriously. "I already had to take a wedding ring off once in my life, and it's something that I promised myself that I would never do again. I know it's crazy to believe in forever when we're only seventeen, but I believe it every time I hear you tell me that you love me."

"I may not ever be the girl that believes in forever completely, Nate," she retorted, "but I definitely believe in right now. I believe in you and me and this moment and the life that we've begun together."

"Then I'll make you a deal, Sawyer," he proposed. "You take care of the now, and I'll take care of the future."

"Sounds like a good deal," she grinned. "And stop calling me Sawyer. It's Scott now."

Meanwhile, on the porch, Brooke leaned against the door jamb and watched her best friend interact with her new husband. It was hard to believe that Nathan and Peyton were newlyweds. It was something that the blonde cheerleader had once dreamed of, told only to her closest confidant during one of their ritual sleepovers after a Friday night basketball game. Even when Peyton had stopped believing that she and Nathan might have a future, Brooke had always held a small ray of hope deep in her heart that her two best friends would find their way back together. Now that they finally had, she knew that it was time to find that for herself.

For the past few months, ever since she had come back from California, Brooke had tried to convince herself that she had already found that in Lucas Scott. However, seeing the way that Nathan held Peyton now told her that she was far from it. In fact, she saw that kind of love from Lucas only when he was holding onto his own best friend. She could see it now as Lucas comforted Haley a half-block away. He hadn't even thought twice when he'd gone after the brunette. Maybe it wasn't going to be Pretty Girl and Broody after all. Maybe Tutor Girl and Broody had been meant to be all along.

"What's going on in that head of yours, Brooke?"

A smile lit her face as she turned and looked up at Mouth. With his sandy blonde hair and tawny skin, he was far from her definition of heart-stopping, but there was something even better there. He was her one constant, the only person who hadn't left her in the last year. He had tried to be there more than anyone. "Just thinking that everything is different now."

"Yeah, I still can't believe they're married."

"Well, that too," she agreed before her eyes drifted back to Lucas and Haley. She knew that she should stalk after her boyfriend and demand that she matter to him as much as Haley did. However, that wasn't where she belonged anymore. She wasn't entirely sure that was ever where she really belonged in the first place. "I'm going to break up with Luke."

"What?!? Mouth exclaimed. He was just as tired of the sick cycle carousel their relationship had taken than everyone else in the tight-knit clique. "You guys just got back together and you're already bailing on him. C'mon, Brooke, you told me that you thought that he was the one."

She shook her head solemnly as she met his eyes. "No, I think I just really wanted him to be the one. I don't think that I want that anymore," she confessed meaningful. "Besides, even if I did, look at the two of them. You know as well as I do that they're on a crash course headed straight for each other. Even I can see it coming from a mile away. There is so much pent-up sexual tension between the two of them that it's inevitable that he's going to slip up at least once. I just don't want to be the guilt on his conscience when he finally gives in."

"Wow, that's actually mature of you," Mouth conceded. He was trying to hold back his own joy at the thought of finally getting a chance with Brooke. There was no one else in the picture for once, and Mouth knew that this was his opportunity to make a move. "Brooke, is there anyone else that might be the one?"

Brooke grinned as she looked at him over her shoulder. "Who knows, Mouth?" she asked with a nonchalant shrug. "Maybe you'll turn out to be the one."

A half block away, Lucas had completely forgotten about his girlfriend. "Hales, are you sure that you don't just want to go back to my house? We can hole up in my bedroom and watch movies. You don't have to go back there and face this. Everyone understands why this is hard."

"No, Luke, I can't hide from this forever," she shook her head adamantly. She was going to have to deal with this eventually, and today was supposed to be the best day of two of her friends' lives. As much as it hurt, she had to support Nathan and Peyton. "Peyton and Nathan are my friends. This should be a happy occasion. I want to be apart of it. I know that I'll regret it if I don't, and even if I didn't, I would feel bad if you missed it."

"You don't have to do this for my sake."

"No, you don't have to do this for my sake," she corrected him. "He's your brother. We're staying."

"You're a good girl, you know that, Haley James-Scott?"

"Just Haley James," she declared. "I think it's time that I go back to being Haley James for awhile."

"For awhile?"

She hadn't mean to add that last part, but a part of her couldn't help but wish that maybe someday she would reclaim the last name from another Scott brother. She had been thinking about it a lot lately, and all of it just seemed to be bubbling at the surface at the same time today. Maybe it was the way Luke had instantly gone to her. Maybe it was the way he seemed to understand. Haley just knew that she needed her best friend right now in whatever form he was willing to be there for her.

"So are you ready to go back there?"

Haley looked up into his eyes and smiled that secret smile she reserved just for Lucas. He knew it well and coveted every opportunity he got to see it. "Can we stand here just a little bit longer?"

"Sure," he agreed, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close to him in a tight embrace. His chin rested on top of her head while she played with the hem of his shirt. "I love you, Hales. You are the strongest girl I know."

"You give me too much credit."

"I don't think I've given you enough," he countered. "Just accept the compliment."

"Thanks, Luke," she giggled. "I love you, too."

"Damn right you do," he teased, tweaking her nose playfully, "And don't you forget it."


	28. Chapter 28

Once Lucas had managed to calm Haley enough to be presentable and once Brooke had stopped giggling long enough to be as serious as her best friend needed her to be, the four dutiful friends followed Peyton and Nathan into the living room to finally tell Deb and Larry the biggest secret of their lives. Nathan couldn't remember ever being this nervous, not even when he had confessed his first wedding or the fact that Peyton was pregnant. She was stoic beside him, however, her steps confident and sure. His eyes met his wife's and then his father's.

Larry knew that something was different with his daughter right away. She avoided his eyes as she hugged him limply before moving on to embrace Deb. Peyton exchanged a quick glance with Dan before sitting down carefully on the sofa next to Nathan. "Daddy, we need to talk to you," she announced in a small voice. He could see so much of her mother in her in that moment, even if the two had never shared genetic makeup. She was every bit her mother's daughter. "Actually, we need to talk to all of you."

"Nathan, honey, what's going on?" Deb asked worriedly as she sat down in an empty armchair. Dan stood behind her, his hand resting lightly on her shoulder. Nathan watched his mother reach up and took Dan's hand. It had been a long time since he had seen them working together as one. "Is it the baby? Is everything okay with Peyton?"

"Everything's fine, Deb," Peyton promised as she tried to muster her most reassuring smile. Nathan nodded in agreement. "Nathan and I made a very big decision tonight, and we hope that all of you will be as supportive as you have been this past month."

Dan was the first to speak up for the coalition of his parents. As the only one who had been aware of their plan ahead of time, he had an understandable advantage in the situation. Nathan knew that his father would be a little less supportive if he wasn't on the inside looking out. There was nothing Dan Scott hated more than not having the inside track. "Of course we will, Peyton," Dan said reassuringly, causing both Deb and Larry to look at him with confusion.

Nathan shifted uncomfortably next to his wife and took a deep breath. "Peyton and I got married."

"Not again," Deb muttered as Larry cried, "You what!"

"Daddy, please just sit down."

"Nathan, how could you do this without your father and me?" Deb asked near tears. She narrowed her eyes at her former daughter-in-law. "Again?"

Peyton placed her hand on Nathan's forearm to stop him. "I told Nathan that I wanted to get married tonight. It was my idea," she said unapologetically. "Deb, I know that you would have liked to be there, and I'm sure that my dad would have wanted to walk me down the aisle. The only thing was that I didn't want it to be like that. Nothing about Nate and me screams traditional. I needed to do this on my own terms – on our terms."

Nathan turned to his mother. "I know that this isn't what you wanted, Mom, but this was the right thing for Peyton and me."

"Why are you not more upset?" Deb asked her husband suspiciously. She still remembered quite clearly how her husband had reacted when Nathan had married Haley. It had taken him weeks to calm down enough to have a civil conversation that didn't end in him demanding his son get a divorce. "Did you know?"

"Hmm?"

"Dan, did you know that our son was getting married?" she repeated, emphasizing each word pointedly. "Please tell me that you did not help him hide this from her father and me. Tell me that you didn't do exactly what Haley's parents did, the very thing that you held against them and her."

Dan jutted out his chin. He refused to feel bad about this, like he refused to feel bad about so many things he had done in his life. "My son needed me."

"Our son needed his parents," Deb corrected her. "Larry, what do you have to say?"

He looked down at his shoes and shook his head sadly. "I waited a long time to see my daughter happy, and I had to miss the moment that she was happiest," he said woefully. "But I can't be mad at Peyton for wanting it to be like this. If she is happy and needs my support, then I will be happy and supportive. I just wish I could have been there."

Peyton sprung from the couch and came over to hug her dad. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you," she whispered in his ear as he clung to her. He shook his head silently, brushing away the tears threatening to fall from her green eyes. He picked up her hand and looked down at her wedding ring, smiling when he noticed the engraved music notes. "I want you to give me away when we have the formal wedding."

Larry looked up at his daughter and smiled. "Whatever you need, honey."

"Wait, so there's going to be a wedding?" Deb asked. "I'm confused."

"We wanted the best of both worlds," Peyton explained as she came back over to sit next to Deb. She turned to her new mother-in-law and smiled kindly. "Deb, we want you there. I'm going to need your help planning it. Nathan and I had the ceremony that he needed, and now we want to give you all the one that you need. You deserve to see your son make this commitment. Brooke wants to be there. I want my dad to walk me down the aisle."

Thoughts of organza and tulle danced in her head as Deb started to plan the menu she would have Karen help her prepare. She was just starting to get excited when she realized that Haley was still there. Of course this had to be hard on her. "Peyton, are you sure that's what is best?"

"It's okay, Deb."

All eyes turned to look at Haley, who up until that point had been relatively in the corner. Lucas was standing next to her in the foyer, both of them leaning against the staircase. Peyton glanced at her best friend uncomfortably. Brooke held Lucas' gaze for a moment before turning back to Mouth. She saw the physical divide between Brooke and Luke for the first time then, realizing that just as her relationship had begun with Nathan, Brooke's time with Lucas seemed to be coming to a close.

"I mean, it's hard, I won't lie," Haley admitted. "It's just that Nate needed to be supportive once and I wasn't. I'm not going to make that same mistake twice."

Lucas looked up at her, feeling the anxiety radiating from the brunette next to him. "Maybe we should give the family some time to talk…"

"Luke, you are family," Peyton interrupted him. "You guys are our family. Look, I know that this isn't easy on anyone. We've put you all in an awkward position. I think that if Haley can manage to be supportive, we can all get along. Out of everyone, she has the most to be angry about, and she is putting that aside for him. Can you all just please stay?"

"Of course we'll stay," Brooke pledged. "Hales and I will run to Karen's to pick up dinner. We have a marriage to celebrate."

"I could go with you instead," Mouth offered.

"Actually, I could use some air," Haley replied.

Lucas turned to his best friend. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

"I'm fine," she whispered as she started for the foyer. Lucas followed her, something that didn't go unnoticed by Brooke. She watched her boyfriend disappear out of sight. Mouth tried to smile at her reassuringly, but they both knew what that represented. "Really, Luke, I'm okay. I just need to get out of here. Brooke and I should probably talk about what's going on."

"And what's that?"

She looked down at where their hands were clasped together. She couldn't remember when or how that had happened. "C'mon, Luke, something is going on between us," she shook her head. "Brooke's not stupid. She has to see it."

He brushed his hand over his head in frustration. He had done this one to Brooke with Peyton, and now he was betraying her with Haley. "I don't even know what's going on exactly."

"I know, Luke," she murmured as she allowed him to hug her. "It's okay, we don't have to figure it all out right now. We just need some time to…decompress. It's been a long month."

"Hales," he drawled. "Whatever this is, I don't want it to change anything."

"Tonight isn't about us, Luke," she replied. She didn't want to make the evening any harder than it already was. "We have time to talk about it later. Tonight, I just want to be there for Nathan and Peyton. I want to be the person I should have been for him last spring. I want to try to be his friend."

Back in the living room, Larry was listening to Brooke and Peyton talk excitedly about wedding cake, bridesmaid dresses and music playlists. Mouth was busying himself with an old magazine he'd found stashed beneath the coffee table while Dan spoke quietly in the corner on his cell phone. Deb was the only one who noticed that Nathan had disappeared onto the back porch. Her son looked older and more tired than she had seen him look in quite some time.

"You okay, honey?"

He turned and grinned at his mother. She could see that the happiness was real. "Just thinking about the baby," he told her. "Doesn't Peyton look beautiful? It really was perfect, Mom. She wore her mother's favorite nightgown, and Dad helped me get the marriage license rushed through. Don't be angry with him. He did this for me. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have been able to make her dreams come true. I know that you don't like what we did, but I can live with it if it means she got to have the wedding that she wanted."

"Oh, honey, I couldn't hold it against you if this is what you two truly wanted," Deb assured him. She wrapped her arm around him. "I just wish I could have been there to share it with you. I understand why Peyton wanted it like this. I'm your mother, though."

"You'll be at the next wedding."

"The last wedding," she corrected him. "You both deserve to be happy, Nate. I always thought that Peyton was the girl for you. Seeing you with her tonight, I never saw that with Haley. There is no looming expiration date. Don't ever lose that part of your love."

Nathan cocked his head slightly as he studied his mom. "Are you and dad good?"

Deb smiled at her son, touched by his concern. "We're getting along, Nate. Don't worry about that anymore. You have your own life to worry about, your own marriage to take care of. Your dad and I may not have a conventional relationship, but it works for us. I hope that you find something better than that with Peyton. She really is a good girl."

"I really love her, Mom," he grinned. "You know, just in case you ever wondered."

"I love her too, Nate," Deb replied as she looked back into the dining room where Peyton and Brooke were laughing together. "I've always wanted a daughter. I think she'll more than do."

Dan stepped out onto the deck. "Nate, your wife's best friend has some plans in there that I do not plan on paying for."

"Excuse me," Nathan chuckled, turning to go. He stopped and turned back around to kiss his mother. "Thanks, Mom, for everything."

Deb nodded at her son and waited for Dan to come back over. "So no more secrets?"

"Aw, c'mon," Dan whined. "What's the fun in that?"

"Dan, I'm serious."

"He needed me, Deb," Dan countered. "You would have done the same thing."

He was right. She would have kept Nathan's secret, just as she had done before. "Dan…"

"Nathan never comes to me anymore. He needed my help, and I wanted to help him. It wasn't much, but he's my son, you know? Deb, you and I aren't the only ones who need fixing."

"We'll get there, Dan," she promised, and they both believed it. Maybe this marriage wasn't just a second chance for Nathan's happiness. Maybe it would be a second chance for Dan and her. "Look how happy they are. You did good, honey. I should have told you that sooner."

"It's okay," he said softly. He was rarely this guy, but for now, he needed to be this man for his wife. He kissed the top of her golden hair as he cradled her closer to him. "Everything is finally going to be okay."


	29. Chapter 29

_To be forewarned... This is a little "smuttier" than I would usually go, but I wanted to bring back that fun that defined Pathan earlier in this story. If you are offended by it, please don't read it. Just wait for the next chapter when things return to their usual PG-13 goodness._

Two months passed since the night of their impromptu marriage, and before she knew it, Peyton found her second trimester coming to a close. There had been no complications in her pregnancy since she had been released from the hospitals, her days and weeks filled with stress-free living with her husband in their new home. She dutifully attended Nathan's games, watching from the stands as he set school and league records. They met with recruiters and weighed their options, taking their time to plan for the future that would be there in three months time. Wedding plans had been left to Deb and Brooke, only occasionally consulting when the two women couldn't compromise on some minor detail. All in all, Peyton and Nathan had settled into a happy life together, something that still shocked much of Tree Hill given their sordid history and impulsive tendencies.

"Nate, will you bring me some strawberry ice cream and three pieces of bacon? Make sure it's cooked crispy," she called into her husband from the living room. He was in the kitchen retrieving their evening snacks, something that had become a ritual while they finished their homework together. Peyton had managed to keep up her grades despite her periodic days away from appointments and exhaustion. Nathan was actually doing better than ever, helped partly by his wife's strict work regiment and the occasional help from Haley. "And that leftover piece of pizza for dinner! Please!"

Nathan bit back his laughter at her seemingly random requests. She was definitely in the phase where she had strange cravings, ranging from soft pretzels from a little stand in Charlotte that he had to drive to buy every weekend in mass quantities to banana peppers dipped in peanut butter. He had quit trying to predict her yearnings long ago and had learned to keep the house stocked with every odd combination that he could come up with. Grabbing the bacon from the microwave and the plate with the pizza and ice cream, he brought her food into the living room and sat it next to her on the sofa. Peyton had her book balanced on her protruding womb as she read her literature text out loud to the baby.

"Do you really think she is going to be a fan of Geoffrey Chaucer?" he asked with a laugh as he reached for his math book. Peyton had taken to reading to the baby whenever she could, even if it was just a random album review or her biology notes on photosynthesis. "I mean, I can barely stay away through The Canterbury Tales, and I have a test on it next week."

"I'm hoping that our child picks up my academic aptitude and passion for music."

"And what do you want her to get from me?"

"Well, first of all, we're still not sure it's a girl, Nate," she reminded him. They had decided to go ahead and keep the sex a surprise until the baby was born, much to his mother and her best friend's chagrin. Brooke had taken to buying clothes in neutral tones so that it would for both kids, while Deb just bought one of everything in pink and blue. "Anyhow, I hope that our baby gets your physical ability. And your eyes, definitely your eyes."

"Oh, yeah?" he purred seductively as he took her book and tossed it to the floor. Maneuvering her carefully so that he could lay down beside her on the wide couch, Nathan started to press a trail of teasing kisses along her neck. Peyton giggled as his tongue tickled her flesh, tugging gently on his locks to guide him back to her lips. "Have I mentioned how much I have enjoyed the second trimester?"

Peyton had been very amorous in the months since they had married, preferring to steal any moment that she had to ravage her husband. They had even had a little bit of fun in the locker room after the team had beaten their rival team. It had been the last time Peyton had managed to fit into her cheerleading uniform, something she had worn as she sat on the sidelines and watched the other girls cheer. Nathan had enjoyed taking her behind the locker, her skirt up around her waist. She shivered deliciously as she thought about that night, wondering how long it would be before she could fit into the tiny outfit again.

"Yeah, the past few weeks have been very kind to your libido," she teased as he stole another kiss. His hands worked under her peasant dress and covered her supple breasts. Peyton moaned against him as he covered his body with hers, careful not to put too much pressure on her midsection. "I want to be close to you, Nate."

He didn't need any further instruction to understood what that mean. He leaned back for a moment to tear away his shirt before shifting her skirt up to grant him free access. His pants were unzipped just enough to free him so that he could join their bodies together. Peyton raked her fingers over his bare back as they came together, her legs entwining tightly around his waist. "You feel so good, baby," he murmured into her ear as they started to move as one. Random curse words were muttered beneath her breath as she met him thrust for thrust, tugging him closer and closer to the edge with her. "That's it, baby, just like that. Damn, Peyt, so good."

Peyton smiled hazily at his random musings, knowing that he had no clue what he was saying to her in the moment. She darted her tongue past his lips, claiming his mouth for her own. "Touch me, Nate, take me," she pleaded as he moved his hands over her still-clothed chest. He peeled the straps of the dress over her shoulders and pushed it down so that it met the skirt at her stomach. He palmed her bare skin greedily, loving how she reacted so instinctively to his touch. "God," she muttered as his tongue flicked over her skin.

Dragging her frazzled body to his, Nathan managed to stand up without disconnected from her. He carried her down the hallway but didn't quite make it to the bedroom before he had to have more of her. Pressing her back against the wall just outside their room, he took a few selfish minutes to thrust into her deeply, teasing her with an impending relief with each slick movement within her core. "Do you like that?" he demanded roughly as he pressed into her to the hilt.

"You know I do," she managed as they sunk to the ground. She straddled his lap and continued their mutual ride toward pleasure. His hands rested on her hips, her rounded stomach the only thing between them. Nathan couldn't remember when she had ever been this insatiable and silently prayed that it would last at least until the baby was born. She had never looked as more beautiful to him as she did pregnant and naked, knowing that he had put this natural glow on her face all those months ago. "I love it so much, Nate. I love you."

"I love you too," he promised as they broke away from each other only long enough to slide her dress completely out of the way. He didn't want anything between them when they were like this. He felt so close to her now, closer than he had ever felt to anyone in his entire life. Every time he thought that he was the happiest he could ever be, a night like tonight would happen and he would realize that there was still so much in store. Peyton took his hand and guided him toward their bed, dancing backward until her thighs bumped against the mattress.

Nathan knew what she was doing and how she liked it. He pressed her over the bed backward, guiding himself into her core from behind. Peyton gasped at their reconnection, reaching for his hand stretching them out in front of them for leverage. They quickly regained their natural rhythm, dancing closer to the abyss that made all of this seem just like meager foreplay. "Harder, Nate," she implored as he stroked himself inside her. "God, yes."

He loved hearing her begging for more of him, something he was willing to give her so freely. "I want us to let go at the same time," he declared breathlessly as he continued to ravage her body. That was what Peyton always called it – letting go. She said that the perfect orgasm was the only time she was really free of everything else but the moment. "C'mon, baby, I want you to come with me."

"So close," she retorted before groaning a little as he hit her sweet spot. He knew that it would only take a few more strokes and she would be finished. "Nate!"

Peyton cried out as he sent her flying over the edge, her body sinking into the blissful oblivion of their mutual high. Nathan held her as she spasmed beneath him, her movements against him enough to bring him down after her. They stayed connected until their breaths evened out. Only when she was strong enough to stand on her own again did Nate pull himself from her and turn her body around in his arms. He kissed her long and hard before scooping her off her feet and depositing her in the center of their spacious bed. Crawling up beside her, he spooned her from behind and kissed the top of her head.

"I love you."

He smiled at her sudden pronouncement of her feelings for him. "I love you, too."

"That was...amazing."

"Uh, yeah," he agreed adamantly. "We'll have to have a repeat performance soon."

"I can't believe you still want me when I'm this fat," she complained. He knew that she only said those things to hear how beautiful he still thought she was. Even six months pregnant, Peyton Sawyer was his dream girl. In fact, knowing that she was carrying his baby made it even more so.

He leaned over her body and kissed her softly. "You are beautiful."

"So are you," she purred as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down into another kiss. Peyton was already starting to regain her energy, surpassing even Nathan's sex drive. "Have I told you lately how happy I am that you married me?"

"I'm just still glad that you agreed to marry me," he replied. "How long do we have until everyone comes over?"

Glancing at the clock beside the bed, Peyton did the mental math to figure out how long they had until their friends came over for study group. History midterms were next week, and the expertise of Mouth and Haley was necessary to whip Luke, Brooke, Peyton and Nathan into shape. "Half hour."

"That's long enough," he mumbled against her lips as he turned them over so that she was on top of him. "God, I love the second trimester."

"Yeah, me too," Peyton confessed, intent on making the most of the next thirty minutes with him.


	30. Chapter 30

The next three months came and went without any incident. Peyton and Nathan adjusted well to married life. Tree Hill pulled off another championship, ensuring that its start player would have his choice at any Division I college of his choice. After much conversation and a few negotiations, Peyton and Nathan settled on his dream choice of Duke University. They would both have their tuitions fully paid with access to married student housing and childcare. Peyton had gained early acceptance to their business school where she planned on honing her marketing skills so that she could realize her dream of starting a music label. Nathan was leaning more toward education as his major, hoping that he would never have to use it if the NBA panned out but knowing that he could at least parlay his passion for the game into a coaching job if nothing else.

Haley and Lucas had been together for about a month as Peyton moved into her final month of pregnancy. It had taken them two months after Brooke had broken up with Lucas for them to even go on a first date. After he had taken her for dinner on the beach and up to the rooftop of his mom's diner for a round of miniature golf, Haley had finally been able to fully admit all her feelings for her best friend. It had been awkward for much of their clique, but Nathan and Brooke had both been happy that they had found happiness in each other. All the old feelings might never go away, but they had become something else entirely.

As for Brooke, she didn't waste that much time before she made her move for Mouth. She had spent the last two years ignoring him, and now that she realized what she had in the guy, she wasn't about to let it go. They were inseparable, their relationship as strong as their friendship. They spent a lot of time with Nathan and Peyton, especially later in the pregnancy when Brooke refused to abandon her godchild in Peyton's hour of need. Nathan had told him to get used to it. He had seen how much time the two girls spent together and on the phone. With Brooke and Mouth headed for New York next year, he expected that his phone bills were going to be quite sizable. However, he would miss the spunky brunette just as much as his wife. Brooke wasn't just Peyton's best friend, she was also his.

All six of the group were headed in different directions, and for the first time in their young lives, they were going to have to figure out how to do this without each other. Lucas was following Haley to California, a plan that they had concocted a long time ago when she had first started dreaming of really becoming a musician. Lucas was going to go to Berkley while she would be at Stanford. He was finally going to take that secret book he had been writing for the past year and do something with it. Haley had been the first person he let read it, and when he had found her sobbing in his bed, he had known that he really had something.

Brooke was going to pursue her dream of fashion, using her sketches and small line to really take the New York fashion scene by storm. Enrolled at one of the city's best design schools, there were few doubts that she would make it. Mouth was going to be at nearby NYU to study political science. He was still determined to make Brooke's dream of marrying a senator come true.

However, before any of those dreams would come true, Nathan and Peyton had held their formal wedding ceremony just footsteps from the beach house that had been the scenery of so much of their relationship. Wearing a simple white cotton sun dress and bare feet, Peyton had married the love of her life for the second time along the ocean with the crashing waves providing the perfect soundtrack. Brooke had been her only bridesmaid, wearing a flowing beach-inspired dress in a deep purple. Lucas had stood up for Nathan, with the rest of their friends in attendance. Deb had managed to get dozens of white folding chairs on the beach so that no one had to miss the event of the early spring season. Larry had walked his daughter down the aisle. They had exchanged the same rings. As much as Peyton had loved her first wedding, even she had to acknowledge that it was a pretty perfect day.

Afterward, in the gauzy white tents Dan had set up in the backyard of the beach house, Nathan and Peyton had toasted their family and friends for making the day possible. Deb had cried as her only child lamented on the impact she had in his life. Larry had laughed as Peyton recounted the day that she told him that she was pregnant. Brooke and Lucas offered up toasts while Mouth and Haley showed a slide show of their lives together. Karen had served a flawless menu to the planners' liking. Everything had been exactly like Brooke and Deb had wanted, and at the end of the day, that's all that really mattered to Peyton.

It was after dinner that had mattered most to the blonde. Her only regret about her wedding to Nathan was that they hadn't had their first dance. In fact, in the months since they had married, they hadn't shared a single dance together. Peyton had been saving that moment for this night, when she would take her husband's hand and move in melodic time with him for the first time as a married couple. Sure, they'd had their Ramones moment after the wedding at the hospital, but they hadn't danced. It was only as Joshua Radin's "I'd Rather Be With You" filled the night air that that part of her dream would be realized.

"Have I mentioned that you look beautiful tonight, Mrs. Scott?" Nathan murmured in her ear as he twirled her around the makeshift dance floor. He closed his eyes as he brought her back to him and rested his cheek against hers. "I'm so glad you married me a second time."

"I'll marry you a third time and a fourth and a fifth," she promised. Her voice was dreamy, something that didn't go unnoticed on Nathan. He loved her like this, so open and vulnerable. There was nothing between them.

"And what about a sixth?"

"I think you'd be pushing your luck then," she giggled back as her eyes fell shut. "This is what happy feels like, isn't it? I always thought that I knew but I didn't really until you came along."

He pulled back to look in her eyes. "Well, that was pretty much perfect, what you said just now."

"Thanks, I try," she smiled as he leaned down to kiss her. "Love you."

"Love you."

Another few songs came and went before Peyton was pulled away by her father for the traditional father-daughter dance. Nathan found his mother and danced with her. Dan even managed to convince his new daughter-in-law to dance with him. Nathan had watched from the side. His father had been trying hard these past few months. They still had a long way to go, but it seemed more likely that they would get there some day. Peyton was always reminding him to let go of the past. With his father like this, it was becoming easier to do.

After their parents had had their rounds and retired to the tables for coffee, their friends had taken to the dance floor. Nathan had loved watching Peyton let go and have fun with the girls, shaking and shimmying with Haley, Brooke and Rachel. Mouth had showed off a few of his infamous moves, earning appreciative looks from Brooke. When the music had slowed down again, Lucas had pulled his sister-in-law into a dance while Nathan had headed for Brooke.

"Well, you finally got your girl, Scott," Brooke smiled up at him. "You better take care of her next year while I'm gone. It's not that long of a ride from New York. I can be there in a few hours and kick your ass if I hear you're not good to her."

"I might just have to yell at her just so we can drag you down for a visit."

"You're going to see me so often that you'll get sick of me, Nate."

"Ah, kind of like now," he teased. Brooke giggled as she elbowed him in the ribs. "No, seriously, we're going to miss you. Both of us."

She smiled up at her oldest friend. "You won't have time to miss me. I'm going to be around. Do you think I am seriously going to leave my godchild's fashion sense to you two? She'll be wearing basketball shorts and Chucks all the time if you guys have your way. No way, not even."

"Thanks for everything, Davis," he said softly. "Not just tonight but for everything. You've been an amazing friend to both of us. I just want you to know how much we love you."

"Aw, Nate," she cooed. "I love you both too."

Meanwhile, Peyton was dancing with Lucas nearby. "I can't believe that you'll be gone in a few months. What is this baby going to do without her Uncle Luke? Who is going to teach her about all these philosophers that no one has ever heard of?"

"I'm sure that Nate has sports philosophy that he can fill her head with. You'll take care of the lyrics," he grinned. "You guys are going to be great parents, Peyt."

"Yeah, we are," she agreed as Mouth came over to cut in. "Hey, Mouth."

"Hey, Luke, why don't you go dance with my girlfriend? I think your brother is putting the moves on her."

"Yup, sounds like Nate," Peyton acknowledged with a giggle as she danced off with Mouth.

Lucas headed over to break up his brother and ex-girlfriend with Haley not too far behind. He reached for the brunette's hand while Nathan accepted a dance from his former wife. Tonight was bringing a lot of closure for everyone. "You look beautiful, Brooke."

"I really do, don't I?" she grinned up at Lucas. "You look happy."

"I am," he confirmed. "Mouth seems to be having the same effect on you."

"You know, Peyton always told me that I would be lucky if I got to fall in love with my best friend," she admitted. "Since Nate got her, I guess Mouth will have to do." Lucas couldn't help but laugh. "No, seriously, Mouth is the guy that I always knew I would want but was afraid to have. I think I was so afraid what other people would think, but I quit caring about that a long time ago. I only care about what I think and what he thinks about me. He loves me. For him, there is no one else. After everything, that's what I needed. I needed someone who would look and only see me. I needed to be the only one."

Lucas understood what she meant. "I'm sorry that I couldn't give you that."

"I'm not," she shrugged. "You were never going to be right for me, Luke. It doesn't mean that you didn't love me in your own way. You just didn't love me like you love her, and that gets to be okay."

Not too far from them, Haley was in Nathan's arms for what would probably be the last time. "Is it weird that you are going from being my husband to having the chance to some day be my brother-in-law?"

"We are an incestuous group, aren't we?" he chuckled. "Luke treating you right?"

"Of course," she replied. It was nice that Nathan still looked out for her. "You know he is."

"Well, if that every changes and you need someone to knock some heads together, I'm your guy," he boasted. "I don't care if he is older than me, I can still kick his ass."

The two former spouses shared a laugh before she turned serious again. "Nathan, I want you to know how happy I am for you and Peyton. It's taken me awhile to be able to say it, but I've always wanted the best for you. We never quite fit, but the two of you are a perfectly matching set."

"Thank you, Hales," he said sincerely. "I hope that Luke will give you the same kind of happiness that Peyton had brought to me. Speaking of which..."

"Can I steal my husband?"

"Of course you can," Haley assured her. She reached up and kissed Nathan's cheek before hugging Peyton tightly. Lucas was nearby and welcomed her into his arms. "Hey."

"You holding up okay?"

"Yeah," she answered, leaning forward to kiss him. It was still weird to kiss her best friend sometimes but it always felt good, felt right. He gave her the sense of home that she hadn't felt in the years since her parents had left her on her own. "Luke?"

"Hmmm?"

"I'm really glad I found you."

"Yeah," he murmured as he held her even tighter, "me too."

Meanwhile, Mouth had managed to sweep his beautiful girlfriend off her feet into their own private waltz. He still couldn't believe that she was his every time he got to hold her. He knew that he would never get sick of looking into her eyes and seeing forever gazing back at him. "You always were my favorite dance partner," she whispered as he turned her in a circle and dipped her back.

"Don't you forget that," he emphasized. "Hey, Brooke."

"Hey, Mouth."

"I love you."

Her eyes went wide at the three little words. "That's the first time you've said that." She waited a moment before realizing that wasn't the reply he probably wanted. "I love you, too." They danced like that quietly for several moments before she looked over at her best friends. "They look really happy, don't they?"

Mouth knew that she was looking at Peyton and Nathan but didn't follow her eyes. Instead, he looked down at her and smiled sincerely. "Yeah, they really do."

Peyton buried her face in Nathan's chest as his hands rested on her stomach. The baby was especially active tonight, drumming out a beat against her womb with her foot. Nathan and Peyton were both sure that it was a girl now. They had come to completely refer to the baby as a her. "She's having a good time." Nate laughed as he rubbed her belly.

"Yeah, she's happy," she grinned. "Kind of like her mommy."

"And her daddy," he added, kissing her deeply. Their exchanged earning whistles from others at the wedding, but neither of them were embarrassed. They counted themselves as among the lucky ones. "Look at all of our friends."

"It's like someone took the deck and reshuffled it so that everything was right," she replied. She watched Lucas and Haley dancing cheek to cheek, so secure in their new beginning. Brooke was laughing with Mouth off to the other side as they tangoed out of beat. Bevin was with Skills while Tim danced with Rachel. Everyone was really happy. "This was a good night, huh?"

"Very good night, babe," he agreed. "Very good life."

"A very good life," Peyton concurred jut as he kissed her again.

That very good life got even better two weeks ago when Peyton and Nathan welcomed their beautiful little girl into the world. Nathan had been at her side the entire time, holding her hand and urging her to push until the finally saw the dark mess of hair that was Anna Camille Scott. He had cried as he held her for the first time, his eyes locked with Peyton's. Weighing in at nearly seven pounds and twenty inches long, she was the closest thing to perfect her parents had ever seen. Brooke had been the first person to hold her other than her parents, something that had been important to both Nathan and Peyton. Lucas took an immediate liking to his niece, Deb bawled like any proud mother and Dan had immediately made Anna the apple of his eye. Larry and Whitey had stood side by side and watched her sleep, both loving that such a beautiful little girl would carry on the names of the women they had loved.

It was just after eight in the morning on a season May morning when Peyton and Nathan Scott returned to their home in Tree Hill. A short walk down the hall, a ride to the parking lot in a wheel chair, a drive across town to the house and a jaunt up the stairs to the nursery had brought them back to where everything had begun. It had taken them nine months to make it where they stood. Staring down at their sleeping little girl, they both felt that familiar sense of home. It wasn't a place anymore. It was a feeling that existed between the three of them. What had started out as the summer of their discontent had turned into their lifetime of happiness. It was indeed a very good life.

**Fin.**

_Author's Note: I want to thank you all for reading this story and the other one that I previously wrote for Peyton and Nathan. It has been wonderful diving into this fandom. You are some of the best readers that are out there! I'm going to take a hiatus from OTH for now but I will be back. Take care and thanks again._


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